All Things Must Die
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Death is the ultimate end for all living beings. We live, we prosper, we die. Such is the cycle of life...or so it should be. But sometimes death is not the end. Some of us, be it through choice or a curse, carry burdens that transcend the cycle itself. Some of us are just too stubborn to die. Some...have to learn their lesson the hard way. Narutoxharem? NarutoxCinder? Spoilers!
1. All Things

**A/N: Wow.**

**I didn't expect this.**

**Seems my "Remnant" story blew up overnight. Also, judging by all the private messages I received...**

**...some VERY VOCAL PEOPLE felt bad about the complete and utter thrashing Cinder received in "Remnant" and insisted I give her a story of her own. I wasn't keen on that idea at first, quite opposed to it, as a matter of fact. But then someone suggested this, both the title and the idea, and I found myself going along with it anyway. Although we know precious little of her past, perhaps she does deserve a chance at redemption. ****Or perhaps she deserves to burn to cinders like her namesake. Who can say where this will lead?**

**Funny thing, I've already written it out, so it won't affect my writing schedule overmuch. ****Its merely a matter of fine tuning chapters and then posting them.**

***grins***

**Lets just say...this Naruto would scare Salem. For good bloody reason. Feel free to read on and see what I mean, dear reader.**

**Just like Remnant, updates for this will be bi-weekly, so worry not. I have a plan. And a draft already written out.**

**Fair warning here, this takes place after the events Volume 5 in RWBY.**

**Quote gives quite the hint as to how Naruto got here:**

_"How much longer must I endure? Its been ages. Everyone is gone._

_My friends. My family. My world. Yet still I always remain._

_I sealed her inside me. So long as I live, she cannot._

_I am neither living nor dead now. I simply...am._

_Its been so long. My watch has yet to end._

_How much longer? __When?_

_I'm tired. Let it end._

_...please."_

_~?_

**All Things Must Die**

Cinder stirred slowly.

Shards of glacial pain stabbed through her good eye as she blinked away the cobwebs shrouding her vision, to no avail. She may as well have been wading through water for all it mattered. Try as she might her strength failed her, leaving her world swimming in and out of focus despite her best efforts to master herself. A slow blink sent a jagged spike of pain through her temple and elicited a raw gasp from the wounded maiden. Damnit. Everything. _Hurt._ Even the merest act of breathing threatened to send her body spiraling down into paroxysms of fresh agony and leave her paralyzed where she lay.

The same could not be said for her surroundings.

In hindsight, the room in which she found herself couldn't call the room anything but primitive. Four thatch walls topped by a straw roof and a rickety wooden frame. Even the floor itself was dirt. This wasn't a house. It wasn't even a cottage at that. This was some sort of shack, and her nose curled at the sight of it. Were it not for warmth of a small fire pit in the center of the room, she would have thought it a hovel. As things stood the flickering firelight cast an eerie glow across their room, playing tricks with the shadows, sending fingers of darkness trailing across the sole sheet shielding her bare skin...

Wait.

Wait, wait.

_Waitwaitwaitaminute?!_

"What the hell is this?!" she yelped! "Why am I naked?!"

With a snarl, the Fall Maiden jerked upright, flailing in her fury.

Only then did her memories finally return; she almost wished that they hadn't.

Cinder remembered now; because she had been beaten. Badly. A flood of recognition came rushing back, bringing with it the bitter pang of humiliation. Yes. There it was. That's right. She remembered. _Raven._ She'd made the mistake of goading her into a fight; one she wasn't prepared to win. Indeed, Cinder'd chosen her fight poorly and promptly paid the price for her folly. For all her might, she still tasted defeat. Near the end of their duel Raven had broken one of her leg and blasted a hole in her stomach, frozen her, then thrown her down a chasm. If it hadn't been for the water, she might've died. Even then she'd been on death's door. Somehow, she had clung on long enough to wake find an exit and haul herself back out into daylight.

Her last memory consisted of dragging her broken body across the road in the rain before the blackness claimed her.

Now she was lying here in a stranger's bed, trapped in some infernal hut in gods-knew-where.

For a fleeting instant she thought one of her allies had retrieved her.

_Someone_ had certainly gone to great length to bandaged her wounds; when she glanced down she saw her broken leg sheathed in a cast; while much of her bloodied stomach and chest were likewise wrapped in a sheathe of fresh white bandages. With her aura at an all-time low, this rudimentary treatment would have to suffice for the time being. Still, who had done this? Emerald and Mercury didn't know a lick about medicine. Hazel...even less so. In her eyes-eye!-that one was a brute good for little more than destruction. Which brought Cinder to her next line of inquiry; _who the devil did this?_

Inhaling a second time now brought with it a faint aroma; one she vaguely recognized as stew, which in turn caused her recovering stomach to offer a plaintive growl.

She scowled at it, to no avail. '_Traitor!'_

It only growled louder still.

Sure enough her gaze alighted upon a pot at the edge of the strange hearth; filled to the brim with vegetables and assorted meat. At least, Cinder hoped that was meat. The dim flames afforded precious little in the way of light at the moment, leading her to believe the hour was late. Her stomach protested once more, muscles threatening to clamp down as she tried to stand. Worse, her bad leg protested viciously when she attempted to put her weight on it, leaving her at something of an impasse. Still, she did have her arms...

She was just considering stealing it when someone spoke.

"Been awhile since I've seen someone with an arm like that." a man's dry, cracked voice arose from the dark. "You're a strange one."

All at once Cinder realized she wasn't alone. Instinctively, she arched her back and searched for a weapon. Nothing came.

"Now, now," the voice soothed. "There's no need for violence. I come in peace."

"You'll leave in pieces!" Cinder snarled, weakened Aura flaring.

_"Braver souls have tried."_

At first she hadn't seen her host; if only because he stood with his back to her and his clothes blended with the blackness. But she heard him now. She certainly heard him when he tossed another log into the fire. The faint scratch of a mortal and pestle captured her attention for a moment before its owner finally laid his tools to rest and turned to face her. Shadow and flame seemed to dance across his quiet countenance, briefly hiding it from view before he stepped into the light.

"Still, its good to see you're awake." the barest beginnings of a smile tugged at his face as he glided to her side. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't wake up."

A waspish retort leaped to her lips, only to a die a withering death when she beheld her host's countenance.

The first thing she noticed were the eyes; while the left stood blue as the ocean depths, the right shone an eerie rimmed shade of unholy violet.

She found herself gazing at a young man...at least, he appeared young behind that absurdly long beard of his. Filthy, too. Matted golden hair framed whiskered cheeks alongside a face smudged with dirt and ash, before tapering down his back in a jagged spiky mane even more untamed than the wilds in which she found herself. Clad in little more than a dirty black cloak, she glimpsed faded traveling leathers beneath, their color leeched away by time and use. They might have been orange, once. Still, those mismatching eyes were bright and sharp and they followed her when she attempted to sit up.

"Where am I?" she challenged, clutching the sheet to her chest. "Who are you?"

"You're in my home, girl." his mouth quirked in a small smile. "I'll thank you to show an old man some respect. As to who...well." slim shoulders rolled in a halfhearted shrug. "I tend go by "Doctor" these days. Old man, or Quack when one of my patients gets rowdy."

"I'd prefer a name." Cinder pursed her lips.

He tilted his head. "And I'd prefer you sit back down. You'll open your wound."

Reluctantly, she did as she'd been bade, though not without hesitation. Something about his words stuck with her, though.

Old?

He'd called himself _old?_ This blond buffoon didn't look a day over twenty at best. His face was unlined and tanned, not a single wrinkle to be seen. If it weren't for the hair and that long, dragging beard of his, she might have dismissed his words outright. But his eyes told another story, one she was almost afraid to hear. What manner of fool called themselves old when they clearly were not? Was he made? Insane, perhaps? He certainly had the mad hermit look going for him and-

Her stomach chose that moment to growl again.

"Hungry, are we?" The Doctor favored her with a laugh. "Alright, then."

He turned his back to her without a second thought, dismissing her as no threat.

"I found you on the road and tended to your wounds." he strode back to the fire and began to ladle a fresh helping of stew into a wooden bowl from a nearby pot, a few waning shadows flickering from the fire over his back. "I brought you here for treatment. That was...hmm? Three days ago? Five? You've been out for quite some time, I'm afraid." Was it her imagination, or right eye seemed to burn just a bit brighter as he spoke? Surely not. "You talk in your sleep, you know." a lone blue eye gazed at her over his shoulder. "Might want to do something about that."

Heat rose to Cinder's cheeks but she banished it with a snarl.

...I take it you expect payment?" she scoffed softly.

He merely offered her the bowl and a spoon.

"Kindness is its own reward. Here."

Cinder snatched them out of his grasp, swept the spoon through the broth, and jammed it into her mouth. For his part, the doctor didn't look offended by her rudeness. He only favored her with a small smile and turned to fetch a bowl for himself. The Fall Maiden paid him no more mind than she would an annoying ant. Instead she turned her focus to the foot in front of her and pushed all thoughts of him from her mind. Why should she? He may have tended her wounds, but she felt she didn't owe him in the slightest. He only breathed at this very moment because she was feeling merciful. And, well...hungry.

"Its Naruto, by the way."

Cinder felt her ears perk up. Just a touch. "What? _That's_ your name? Ha!" She actually laughed at him for it.

All things considered, the stew was rather good, if a tad too warm for her liking.

Without thinking, Cinder moved to cool it with her Maiden powers.

Nothing came. Annoyed by her weakness, she tried again.

Once more, she failed in this simple task.

Her lone eye widened.

"Wait."

A pit of dread opened in Cinder's stomach, gaping wide to swallow up all she'd ever known. When she tried to reach for her strength again, for the power of the Fall Maiden, _her power,_ the power she'd fought so hard to claim, she found nothing. Only the faintest embers of her former might and her Semblance, smoldering quietly. At first, she felt only confusion. That didn't make any sense. Her powers weren't merely depleted; they were gone entirely. Vanished. In place of that all-consuming might, Cinder felt nothing but an empty void when she reached for them. Worse than that.

The bowl tumbled out of her hands and clattered to the floor, upending its contents into the dirt.

"Where's my power?" she barely choked the words out. "What happened to my power?!"

"Gone, I'm afraid." the blond answered. "You were quite dead when I found you."

Her gaze snapped back to the hermit with laserlike focus.

...what? What are you talking about?!"

"Did I stutter? " having finished his meal, the blond doctor had turned his back her and begun to work on another concoction of some sort, grinding the mortar against the pestle as he spoke with firm, precise movements in spite of hysteria. "You know, I had a rather difficult time reviving you at all. You should be grateful."

Cinder scarcely heard him.

No.

No. No.

This couldn't...it...

"No, no, no! NO!" her hands, human and Grimm alike, tore at her hair as she shook her head. "This isn't happening! This can't be happening!"

And yet it was.

No matter how she tried, her strength never came. Only her Semblance and her own aura remained. Those would recover in time. But the power of the Fall Maiden...was gone. Forever. Merely thinking of it was enough to send her back into a spiral of despair. Her heart skipped a beat, them another. Another still. Panic overtook her as she looked this way and that, frantically seeking an escape from what she knew to be the truth. _Stop! Try to think! Don't panic! You can get it back!_

But it was so very _easy _to panic.

Salem would never forgive her for this. Not only had she failed to secure the relic, but she'd lost her power. Without it, they couldn't access the relic at Beacon. Assuming it was ever found.

She felt small without her Maiden powers. Tiny. Weak. Just as she'd been...before. It made her want to tuck her knees against her chest and curl into a ball. In a rare moment of weakness, he did just that. No. She wasn't weak. She still had her arm. Her skills. Her training. Her Semblance. She wasn't weak. No. Not weak. Never weak. Not again.

If the power wasn't here, wasn't with her, that meant it sought out someone else.

Her last thoughts hadn't been of Raven. For all the pain and humiliation the Spring Maiden had inflicted upon her, she still hadn't been in Cinder's final thoughts. No, her last spiteful recollection had been of...that girl. That damned girl. Little Red. Ruby Rose. Something broke deep inside of Cinder. It was known that a Maiden's power went to those she held in her final thoughts. Salem had all but drilled the knowledge into her; it had been a pivotal point in acquiring them from Amber in the first place. But now _she _had been defeated, she'd even died for a period of time, if Naruto was to be believed.

One only person was in her final thoughts.

The power had likely gone to her.

Ruby. Freaking. Rose.

Ever since her ignominious defeat at Beacon, that insipid little girl was always, always, ALWAYS lurking at the forefront of Cinder's mind. Which meant...which meant...! No. That was impossible. Destiny couldn't _possibly _be so cruel as to do this to her. But it was. And it had. Her hands went limp at her sides as this awful realization dawned. Then her entire world went red as she pictured the huntresses's insufferable face, imagined her smiling at her-no, laughing at her, that blasted girl, that damn _**BRAT...!**_

Fear and Wrath writhed inside her like twin snakes, threatening to swallow her whole.

And.

Something.

Quite simply. Broke.

Someone was screaming; it took Cinder several seconds to realize it was _her._

She was still screaming when five firm fingers knifed into the side of her neck and knocked her out.

And there, from that single solitary moment, her entire world began to change. But for good or ill, who could say?

**A/N: Don't worry about Naruto's messy appearance he'll be back to normal soon enough.**

**I think I just broke Cinder.**

**Before anyone asks, AGAIN, I've already written this out. **

**Its merely a matter of fine tuning chapters and then posting them.**

**You can expect a PURE RWBY story soon, which has also been written in advance.**

**Well, let's hope that one doesn't get me murdered. Its going to be...a different take, to say the least.**

**That's right, she perished and lost her Maiden powers; its STRONGLY hinted that she was revived by the Rinnegan after that fact. Aaaand to add insult to injury, those powers went to little miss Ruby Rose. Time will tell if Cinder takes this chance to reflect upon her fate or...well. She's never taken defeat well, has she?**

**You'll have to read on to find out her fate won't you?**

**So lets clarify some things real quick; this iteration of Naruto, due to circumstances that will be explained, had no choice but to seal Kaguya inside himself to prevent her from running amok. That is not a good idea under normal circumstances, Unfortunately in doing so, he accidentally gave himself immortality on the level of Salem and then some. He can't age. Nor can he die. These days he's just a humble sage trying to eke out a living while searching for a way to both destroy himself and the crazy goddess inside of him. He left his world to keep it safe.**

**Because. Kaguya. Wants. Out.**

**And if she has her way, the world of Remnant is in for hell.**

**If folks don't like this, I'll delete it in a day or so.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**Review...Would You Kindly?**

**Here's a preview~!**

**Of course, I haven't forgotten Ruby and the gang...**

**(Preview)**

_"Weiss, Weiss! Haaaaaaaalp! My hands are on fire again! Hothothot! Make it stop!"_

_"Ruby!"_

_Blake twitched. "Is she...going to be alright?"_

_"Don't worry," Yang barely looked up. "Eh, my baby sis' is tough. I'm more worried about Weiss-_

_A distant explosion drew a wince from all parties present._

_Qrow palmed his face. "I need a drink..._

* * *

_"Coward. You have all this power, yet you refuse to use it."_

_"Sometimes the best action is inaction." came the reply. "I chose the latter."_

_"Then you're a fool, Naruto Uzumaki. Power is meant to be used, not hoarded away."_

_He rebuffed her with a gentle sigh.__ "We've been over this. You do not want the gifts I have to offer."_

_"Of course I do! You think hoarding power means you'll have it forever." her lone eye regarded him venomously as he continued to change her bandages with limpid sincerity. "But it just makes the rest of us hungrier. And I refuse to starve."_

_A muscle jumped in his jaw. __"Stop being melodramatic and let me do my job."_

_Cinder spat at his feet in mild derision, but didn't refuse him when he began to wrap a fresh poultice around her waist. Her lone eye never left him, watching every moment until he finally completed his task. The moment he did she tried to jerk away from him, only for him to seize her human hand in his. For a moment, just a moment, the tan flesh of his palm gleamed a ghastly white._

_**"You think you know power? You think you could bear my burden and survive. You know nothing." **the words escaped him in a low snarl as his fingers tightened around her heel. "__**Salem? Grimm? Don't make me laugh."** __White eyes regarded her with the weight of a thousand worlds, and still, he didn't relent. **"I could crush your Master and lock her away in an instant; seal her in a place so cold and dark that she'd never see the light of day. "**_

_Just like that, he released her, the ghastly pallor fading from his visage as he smiled. __"But if I did that, I'd unleash something far worse on this world."_

* * *

_"You have people who care about you. For instance-_

_"Cinder!"_

_As if waiting for that very moment, the door leading to the hut crashed open, spilling daylight into the darkened room. Not a heartbeat later, a teary__ green-and-tan blur shot across the room to cannon into her chest. __The Sage favored her with a dry look that spoke volumes. Gods, she wanted to burn him alive. But where had Emerald come from? In the end, his smile answered her._

_"I never said you were my only patient."_

**R&R~!**


	2. Doctor's Orders

**A/N: Well, hot damn.**

**Seems folks like this story almost as much as Remnant.**

**It warms an old man's soul to get this much positive feedback from you all. **

**On another note, this chapter is told from a dual perspective of sorts; meaning we see things from both Naruto and Cinder's point of view. Oddly enough, Coeur Al'Aran's, "Service with a Smile" lent me quite the inspiration for this chapter. I...didn't think it was possible to write a softer version of Cinder. Really helped me get a better read for certain characters and their personalities.**

**Remember, like Remnant, updates for this will be bi-weekly, that is to say ever two weeks or so.**

**Or earlier, if I can help it.**

**Ah, but first let us move back a few days and catch up with Team RWBY...**

**Recall that Cinder didn't "die" immediately. It took some time.**

**So. Let's see exactly what happened then, shall we?**

**Ruby is just plain fuuuun to write these days.**

**You can tell I had a blast with her bit.**

**I own no quotes or references!**

_"Do you have any idea what its like?! To never be good enough? To be used and abused every moment of your life? To be thrown out into the street and told that you're no one! Nothing! I fought my way out of that hell. I EARNED that power! I did things you couldn't possibly imagine to obtain it! I made a deal with the devil herself! __And when I finally gained that power, it was taken from me! __I sacrificed and I bled and I sweat and I cried! I did everything I could not to lay down and die! But I still did! And now its gone! Who are you to ridicule me?! You know nothing about me!"_

_"You just described a quarter of my life. To a "T". By all means, continue."_

_...your life couldn't have been that bad."_

_"My dear, **you** have no idea."_

_~Cinder and Sage._

**Doctor's Orders**

_Ruby Rose was on fire._

Quite literally at that; she'd woken from a dream in the middle of the night and found herself engulfed in flames. Still half asleep, the pajama-clad girl didn't realize what was going on. Not at first. Her first assumption was just that; I'm still dreaming, right? This should be a dream. Yeah, gotta be a dream. Nothing else made sense. She only knew that her body didn't hurt anymore; if anything, the flames felt downright pleasant. Like gentle hands wrapping around her sore muscles, bringing with them untold warm. As if she were hugging a long lost friend. Or were the flames hugging _her?_ She wasn't sure.

Her head was still foggy from the battle at Haven, yet she'd never felt lighter.

But it felt so very niiiiiiiiice so Ruby didn't really care.

Alas, the same could not be said for her sheets.

Nor her bed. Or the rest of her room.

When the scent of smoke finally reached Ruby's nose, reality was only half of a step behind. Which is to say it slapped her right upside the head and then some, pulling her out of her daze like an angry Nevermore on the hunt. Smoke was bad. Fire? Also bad. Very bad. She didn't feel any of it, and the fire was leaving her pajamas alone for some reason, but everything else...

Then came the panic.

"Weiss, Weiss!" she cried, flailing spectacularly! "Haaaaaaaalp! My hands are on fire! My ROOM is on fire!"

"Ruby?!" a muffled cry greeted her. "What in the world-

She'd barely gotten the words out before frantic footsteps resounded from the other room, followed by the door to said room crashing open. To her credit, her partner looked about as lively as she felt; which is to say she was clad in little more than a white shift and looked like death warmed over. Though her hair did look _really _pretty with it being down and all-no! Bad Ruby! Focus! Fire bad! She must've been in a right state too, because Weiss looked about ready to faint.

Her eyes bulged as she beheld the elemental maelstrom. "What did you do?!"

"Hothothot! Well, not hot, but still! What's going on?! Make it stop!"

"I...you...Ruby! How are you even doing this?!"

"I don't knoooooooow!" Ruby whined.

She wanted it to cool off!

She didn't want to burn her room down! Everyone was going to wake up at this rate, and that meant everyone would stare and _nononono!_

Remarkably, Ruby's newfound powers responded to her emotions. A wave of biting cold jutted from her open hands, causing the temperature to plunge...perhaps a bit too rapidly. Sure enough the fire gutted out, but in its absence, ice proved just as quick to sprout. Unfortunately, her emotions were also running a touch too high to be controlled - sure enough, one of those icy blocks nailed Weiss right in the gut. Ruby had half of a heartbeat to wince in pity for her partner's plight. Then the poor girl flew out of the doorway like she'd been shot out of a slingshot and collided with an only-just-now-arriving Jaune. The impact knocked them straight through a wall as if it were made of wet cardboard.

Wuh-oh.

"Sorrrryyyy!"

They'd be alright...wouldn't they?

Just like that, the storm guttered out in her grasp, leaving the girl to gawp at the mess she'd made. Ruby Rose could've died of embarrassment at that very moment. She _wanted_ to. But at least her room wasn't on fire anymore. That was good, right? Everything was alright, she just had to calm down and think in complete sentences_-myhandsaresparking?!_ Was that thunder she heard outside? Oh god. Her panic surged and the golden glow in her palms only intensified, hearkening to her panic as she began to hyperventilate-

And then Ozpin was simply there.

At least, Ruby assumed it was Ozpin in control.

Oscar's eyes simply didn't glow gold like that, even on a good day.

Ruby tried to speak, tried to warn him to stay back -he'd get hurt!- but the wind swallowed her words. It didn't matter. As she looked on in quiet terror he strode to her side, reached out and took hold of her hands. Gloved fingers closed on hers, curling around her trembling palms. His serene expression wove a tiny thread of hope back into her heart. Slowly, carefully as not to spook her, the young man knelt before her.

"Breathe, miss Rose." he instructed her calmly, somehow making himself heard over the storm. "Find your center."

"I don't know how!" she wailed.

"Yes," he said, "You do."

Ruby did.

Inhaling slowly, the huntress scrunched up her brow, wrinkled her nose, and willed herself to focus. Right. Center. Happy thoughts. _Yang. Mom. Dad. Weiss. Blake._ Much to her delight, that was all the catalyst she needed to find her center. In due time the faint tingling sensation vanished from her hands and her twitching fingers came under her control once more. A small, tentative smile touched her mouth When she looked up, she found the rest of her friends waiting for her in the ruins of her rom. Well, most of them. Jaune and Weiss were still somewhat absent.

Because reasons.

...why was Uncle Qrow looking at her like she'd grown a second head? Or three? "Ruby...you...you're...those powers...

"What powers?!" Ruby hiccuped spectacularly, bouncing from foot to foot. "I don't know what's going on?!"

Ozpin favored her with a small, strange smile. "I believe we've found ourselves a new Fall Maiden."

Everyone squawked. Ruby simply squeaked.

Wait.

Wait. Wait.

WaitwaitwaitWAIT!

Cinder held the powers of the Fall Maiden. Everyone knew this. If they'd gone to her...didn't that mean Cinder was dead? Wait. She knew that. They all did. They'd assumed her dead days ago during the battle of Haven. But if the power just came to her now...oh! The proverbial lightbulb all but snapped into existence over her head. Which meant Cinder had only died _recently._ Which _also_ meant she'd survived. Been alive. And Ruby had been in her final thoughts. That...kinda made sense. A twisted, awful sort of sense, but sense nonetheless.

Blake blinked, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of a hand. "Is she...going to be alright?"

"Eh," Yang barely looked up. "My baby sis' is tough. I'm more worried about Weiss-

"Wait." the faunus's ears twitched in mild concern. "Has anyone _seen_ her?"

A distant crash drew a wince from all parties present and absent.

"RUBY ROSE! YOUR HEAD IS MIIIIIIIIIIIIINE!"

Qrow palmed his face. "I need a drink...

Ruby yawned sheepishly.

_"Ooops?"_

* * *

_(...0o0o0...)_

* * *

This man was absolutely insufferable.

Cinder came to this inimitable conclusion only a week into her stay; seven days after she caught a fever and screamed herself hoarse yet_ again._ Thankfully her vocal chords were quick to snap back from this mishap in short order. Her body was not. Every day spent in bed served as a harsh reminder of just how frail she'd become, of how she had to depend on _others_ to survive while her Aura struggled to restore her ruined body to its terrifying prime. Losing her Maiden powers hadn't merely exhausted Cinder, it had _hurt_ her. She was weaker now than she'd ever been. Even her Semblance felt...smaller somehow, reduced to a mere shadow of its former self.

To make matters worse, her host treated her as one would a sickly child.

Every act, no matter how kind, shredded her pride to pieces.

She could have killed him. She should have.

She wasn't that weak. Not yet.

There were times when her temper slipped its leash, when she found that she couldn't walk without aid; couldn't even move more than a few stumbling steps by herself; when she _tried_ she had fallen spectacularly and tore open the stitches in her stomach. The pain had been agonizing and led to another bought of healing and herbs alongside other foul tasting medicine. It taught her a touch of humility. Humility that _burned_ her more than any flame. Despite all her pride and rage, Cinder Fall simply could not force her body to recover faster.

Thus, for the first time in many years, she found herself forced to rely on a stranger once again.

One who forced her to eat all manner of ghastly things, one who waited on her.

Hand and foot, all without a single complaint.

And so she observed_ him._

At first it was solely out of boredom; though Naruto had given her a book or two to read as she convalesced, Cinder had quickly consumed his limited collection. Soon enough she demanded more and to her initial surprise, her host provided. Cold comfort at best, but she'd take it. Her body might atrophy a bit as she healed, but she refused to let her mind wither. When she wasn't reading, she was watching. Judging his every step, every bit of movement he made, noting his comings and goings whenever she could. She learned much.

For starters, they weren't as isolated as she'd initially believed them to be.

Nor was Naruto the mere "Doctor" he claimed to be. He was more than that. Much more.

She soon discovered they were in something of a rural village of a sort, not quite a slum, but not a town either.

Not a day went by when someone didn't come begging to the doctor's door. Be it for a simple salve, healing, or even a meager bit of advice, he was always there to provide something to someone who needed it. Once he even lent a child the very cloak off his back. Cinder...was uncertain how to feel about these inexplicably displays of kindness. Naruto gained nothing from them, beyond the goodwill of his patients. Goodwill did not fill one's coffers. Goodwill did not fill a hungry belly, no matter how many you helped. And by the gods did these people need everything. Insipid fools. Were they even capable of fending for themselves? How did he attend to so many tasks at once and not fall apart? How did he_ function _with so many people relying on him?

Cinder soon had her answer; because very next evening he performed magic before her very eyes.

At least, she assumed it to be magic. What else _could_ it be?

How else could one duplicate oneself?

Or breathe fire?

At first she mistook it for a Semblance of some sort but no, this was too complex. Arriving in a plume of smoke the duplicate he'd created snapped off a snarky salute as it received its orders. The command given, it then snatched up a bow, darted out of the house, and returned not five minutes later with a dead buck slung over its shoulder like a sack of flour. Not an hour after _that,_ and they had it for supper. A meal that was somewhat expedited by him _breathing fire to cook the damn deer in the first place!_

"Oh no, I'm no huntsman." he answered when she tried to grill him over their hearty dinner of venison and potatoes. "Just a bit...different."

_"Different."_ Cinder snorted as she cut into her meat with ruthless efficacy and began to chew it. "That _hardly_ describes you."

"Fair point to the lady in red." the doctor yielded with a sigh to ward off her suspicion. "Very different, then."

They chose to eat in stoic silence a moment more, neither willing to speak for a time, lest they broach the subject further. The fire-pit crackled quietly in the center of the room, casting dancing shadows across their faces in roguish glow. Cinder took the opportunity to observe him again. His violet eye seemed to shimmer like the stars in the dark, while the blue remained just as calm and placid as ever. He was hiding something. She knew it...just not what. Uncertainty gnawed at her like a nest of maggots as she ate.

Not for the first time, she was glad to have procured new clothed for herself.

Granted, the simple red tunic and breeches she wore wouldn't have been her first choice, but it at least allowed her to hide her scars and preserve her modesty, if not her sanity.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"You're not a necromancer or something, are you?" she asked at last.

"Hardly. You're healing well, in any case." Naruto retorted, deflecting further questioning with all the bluntness of an Ursa. "I should be able to take the stitches out soon and get rid of that cast. You might even be ready to go outside tomorrow." As she looked on, the faintest green glow coated his right hand, gone almost before she could truly hope to glimpse it. She wasn't entirely certain what he meant by that, but if it meant her freedom and expedited her recovery, she was more than willing to give it a try. A thought occurred to her, then.

"If you can heal me quickly, why didn't you do so earlier?" she snapped.

A blond brow rose again. "You weren't ready. You still might not be. Your body's part Grimm...it won't react well."

"Me? Not ready?" Cinder slammed her fists against the table with a snarl. "Who decided that?! I decide such things and _I _say I'm ready!"

"You're incredibly stubborn, I hope you know that," the blond continued as he polished off the last of his meal. "Most would be bedridden by the injuries you sustained. Yet here you are. Up and about, telling me to hurry and cure you. I'm not sure if that's amazing or damn foolish."

With those words her temper cooled, if only a touch.

"Of course." she scoffed. "I'm a survivor. It'll take more than this to kill me."

"So it would seem," Naruto dabbed at his bearded face, only to frown at some minor irritation. "Tch. Maybe I should shave...

Cinder couldn't help but preen a bit at his praise; backhanded though it was. After taking such a brutal bruising, her ego was eager for compliments. Starving for recognition. She wanted to prove her worth to someone, anyone really. To show that she was above the common rabble. Remind herself that she had purpose. Worth...or she would, once she ripped back her powers from that girl's corpse! That brat was probably even now training, learning to control her gifts. Stolen gifts! Once she retrieved her powers no one would _dare_ question her again.

Sensing her negative thoughts, her Grimm arm spasmed. She clutched at it angrily and willed it to be still.

...say, does that make you a zombie now that I've revived you, then?" Naruto queried suddenly.

Her wooden plate -now empty- sailed across the table at his face. To his credit, the Sage didn't bat an eyelash; instead he nimbly caught the dish and whisked it back onto the table where she'd first snatched it. Yet again she found her opinion of him called into question. Naruto claimed not to be a Huntsman, yet he possessed absurd reflexes and a host of other unnatural abilities. Not to mention the fact that he'd quite literally brought her back to life. Normal people didn't do that. Huntsman couldn't do that. Hell, she wasn't even sure Salem could bring back the dead. Could she?

"Right, then." Naruto declared, sensing the sudden shift in her mood. "Time for bed, I think."

Cinder drew back. "I'll get there myself. I don't need your help this time.

"No, you really can't." came the retort. "You know that."

Her lone eye narrowed. "Naruto, I will _end_ you."

"Bah!" he scoffed. "Empty threats."

Cinder tried to shrink back when he stood up and circled around to her side of the table, knowing full well what was coming next. As always she found herself powerless to prevent it-much less escape. Lashing out with her Semblance did no good anymore; she'd given up after the first day of that. In short order he swept his arms beneath her legs, pulled her into his chest, and carried her back to her cot. By all rights, he carried Cinder like a princess. THAT WAS THE PROBLEM! This was inane! Excruciating! Humiliating!

"Fear me, damnit!"

Gentle laughter rumbled in his chest.

"Right now? You're about as terrifying as wet kitten."

Cinder certainly hissed like one. "Oh for the love of-stop carrying me! I'm not going to die if I take a few steps!"

"No, that's not what concerns me at the moment." Naruto hummed as he laid her back down on the cot. Foolishly, Cinder took the bait hook line and sinker. In a fit of pique she twisted her hips and kicked out at him with all her might. Her cast cracked him upside the head. Again, she may as well have kicked a Beowulf for all the damage she did. Her host only arched an eyebrow and she found herself forced to slump in defeat.

"Fine." the words escaped her in low growl. "What the devil's bothering you, then?"

Too late, she realized she'd given him an opportunity.

Bastard even started to count on his fingers.

"Your attitude, anger, and your-

"That does it! OUT!"

Her pillow sailed right at his head like a cruise missile and promptly found itself snared to be placed beneath her cast. He straddled the bed beside and began to check her bandages, leaving her to cross both arms before her bosom and sulk impotently. She thought about killing him. It should have been easy. He was certainly close enough. All she had to do was reach out with her Grimm arm and snap his neck. She knew it wouldn't work this time, just as it hadn't before. She'd already broken his neck before. Any wound she inflicted on him healed instantly. Any aggression on her part would be simply result in laughter and yet another round of drinks.

"Would you like your eye back?"

At first, the question floored Cinder, if only because it came out of nowhere.

Instinctively, her hand flew to the ruined side of her face to cup it as she turned away from him. Her hair still hid the scar, but the marks there served as a constant reminder of her wound. She didn't like to think about it, about her wounds, or what she'd been forced to become. His inquiry threatened to stir up old memories. Ones best left forgotten.

"Bullshit." she spat the word as though it were poison. "What are you playing at? Why offer me this now?"

...because you look miserable." Blast him! That explained absolutely nothing! Infuriating man!

She forced a smile. "I see. Do you expect me to repay you with my body? Is that it?"

He yanked the pillow out from under her leg and smacked her upside the head.

Much to Cinder's surprise, it hurt more than any slap.

"What was that for?!"

"For being an idiot." Naruto snapped without any preamble. "Do you want my help or not?"

She did. More than anything. She'd never admit it aloud. Her traitorous heart had _leaped _at the idea of being restored to some semblance of her former glory. To admit as much would be the same as placing herself in his power. He wanted something from her. He had to. Everyone wanted something. The alternative terrified her. If there truly was someone in this rotten world who only sought to help others; who sought no reward or means of payment, then what did that make her? She'd lived by her creed, trampling others underfoot to get what she wanted. This man was the opposite of her in every way shape and form, a being who contradicted her and all but challenged her on every level. She couldn't take it. Couldn't admit it. Could barely even speak.

In the end she managed a stiff nod.

"Then grit your teeth. This is going to hurt."

With that, he laid his right hand on her ruined eye. Cinder had just enough time to glimpse his marked palm before her world went white.

"I don't feel anythiiii_iiiiiiiing?!"_

Her voice betrayed her.

Naruto would later explain that it wasn't simply a matter of healing her; that he'd been essentially forced to revitalize dead skin-her scars-make her blood to circulate in an area long since dead. He'd actively regrown her eye in its socket and that...her body didn't know any other way to respond to this marvel beyond base instinct. He hadn't been joking. This pain went beyond what she'd experienced at Beacon; if only because it focused on a single locus, a singular point. There was no escape from it. And so she screamed. Over and over again, until her voice finally failed. At first, it tried to reject what it viewed as a foreign object, which in turn ratcheted the pain tenfold. Who could say how much time passed? Seconds? Minutes? Hours?

Quite suddenly, the pain vanished.

And she could see.

Cinder blinked.

"Where...

A shadow shifted in her peripherals.

"Welcome back." Naruto's gruff voice greeted her. "Again."

She glimpsed him at the foot of her bed, changing her bandages.

She rose, slowly at first, struggling to make her body respond the way she wanted to. Everything hurt. Dimly, she realized must've blacked out at some point; because the gentle light of day filtered through the roof, leaving her to squint against it as nocturnal predator might its own shadow. She felt like death. No, worse than death. Her skin slicked in stale sweat, her throat burned itself hoarse. But she could see. With both eyes. She didn't realize it at first; all the world felt wrong; after viewing it through a single lens for so long, she almost couldn't quantify it. Why was her face wet? Oh, gods. She wasn't crying, was she? No. Absolutely not. She hated such weakness.

The man tending to her was anything but; and her curiosity would no longer be denied.

"Who are you, really?"

Naruto twitched. Just a touch.

"As I've said, I'm just a humble doctor, no one important-

Cinder latched onto him like a starving woman would their meal.

"NO!" she swept her Grimm arm at him in a fit of pique. "No excuses! Tell me!"

"An eye is a small matter." her doctor deflected. "Its something I've done before. You should rest."

"And you should tell me the truth. Now." she clawed at his face, though the words tasted ashen in her mouth. "Look at you!" she jabbed a bandaged finger against his chest. "You have all this power, yet you refuse to use it. You can heal wounds, recover from any injury. Bring back the dead. You could rule this world! Yet here you hide in a hut. Helping people. Helping me. Why?"

"Sometimes the best action is inaction." came the reply. he wouldn't look at her. "I chose the latter."

Lies. He was taking action by helping her and the people of this village. That wasn't inaction in the least.

"Then you're a fool, Naruto Uzumaki." Cinder growled back aside. "Power is meant to be used, not hoarded away."

"So you've told me." He rebuffed her with a gentle sigh. "We've been over this. You do not want the gifts I have to offer."

"Of course I do! You think hoarding power means you'll have it forever." her restored sight regarded him venomously as he continued to change her bandages with his quiet, limpid sincerity. "But it just makes the rest of us hungrier. And I refuse to starve."

A muscle jumped in his jaw. "Stop being melodramatic and let me do my job."

"Why you...?! Do you have any idea what its like?! To never be good enough?" He didn't answer her, so she pressed on, words scorching her throat. "To be used and abused every moment of your life?" every second of his silence stabbed her like a blade, bringing her further and further to the edge. "To be thrown out into the street and told that you're no one! Nothing! I fought my way out of that hell. I EARNED that power! I did things you couldn't possibly imagine to obtain it! I made a deal with the devil herself!"

Sill, he refused to look at her.

Damn him! Damn him to hell for all of this!

"And when I finally gained that power? When I finally claimed that which was so rightfully mine? It was taken from me!" enraged, she reached out and grabbed him by the chin, forcing him to look at her. "I sacrificed! I bled! I cried! I did everything I could not to lay down and die! But I still did! And now its gone! Who are you to ridicule me?! You know nothing about me! I fought! You? You just hide! Like the coward you are!"

"You just described a quarter of my life." his stoic gaze regarded her silently. "To a "T". By all means, continue."

...your life couldn't have been that bad."

"My dear, **you** have no idea."

Cinder spat at his feet in mild derision, but didn't refuse him when he began to wrap a fresh poultice around her waist. Her lone eye never left him, watching every moment until he finally completed his task. The moment he did she tried to jerk away from him, only for him to seize her human hand in his. For a moment, just a moment, the tan flesh of his palm gleamed a ghastly white.

She didn't have time to regret her decision.

**"You think you know power? You think you could bear my burden and survive. You know nothing." **the words escaped him in a low snarl as his fingers tightened around her heel. "**Salem? Grimm? Don't make me laugh. Look at me."** White eyes regarded her with the weight of a thousand worlds, and still, he didn't relent when she tried to squirm away. **"LOOK AT ME!" **His voice rose, crashed like thunder, rattling heaven and earth alike.** "Are you afraid? You should be. I could crush your Master and lock her away in an instant; seal her in a place so cold and dark that she'd never see the light of day. Imagine what I could do to you! **

Her expression must've been telling; because he released her.

"Do you understand now? I could use this power. But I'd unleash something far worse on this world."

Just like that, Naruto stepped back fro her, the ghastly pallor fading from his visage like a bad dream, a faint memory.

"We all have our demons, Cinder. We all have our secrets. Mine are simply...more tangible than most." when she opened her mouth reply, he staved her off with a raised hand. "And you don't give yourself enough credit these days. You do have people who care about you. For instance-

"Cinder?!"

As if waiting for that very moment, the door leading to the hut crashed open, spilling daylight into the darkened room. Cinder raised her arm to ward off the sudden surge of light, to no avail. Not a heartbeat later, a teary green-and-tan blur shot across the room to cannon into her chest. She recognized her supposed attack almost immediately, even as her body struggled between fight or flight. Emerald? But this...what?! When?! Where?! Why?! When the Sage favored her with a dry look that spoke volumes, she wanted to burn him alive. But where had the girl come from? This didn't make a lick of sense. In the end, his smile answered her.

"I never said you were my only patient." the sage hummed. "I'll leave the two of you alone, for now."

Without so much as another word, he sketched a bow and departed the way she'd come.

Cinder took back everything she'd thought of him. All of it. Every bit.

This man was...impossible. She couldn't understand him. While that brief display of power had certainly rattled her, it was his words that clung on, muddying the mire of her thoughts. He claimed to know the pain she felt, to know what she'd been through. It could be a trick. A ploy used to gain power over her. He held incredible power, but rather than use it -as was his right-he kept himself sheltered away, eking out a living through these small, tiny acts of kindness. And he claimed to be content? No, she couldn't comprehend his motives. And yet now she almost wanted to, not for pride or power...

...but as a kindred spirit. More than that.

She frowned, heart twisting quietly.

No. Surely not. It couldn't be...

The very notion was absurd.

And yet it still lingered.

**A/N: And there we go. **

**Right then, explanations:**

**Cinder wasn't the only one who had the tar beaten out of her back in Haven. Mercury, Emerald, Hazel; we all know they lost. Its HEAVILY implied that Naruto's taking caring of the lot of them as they convalesce from their injuries. And if he helps them become better people for it, isn't that a good thing? On another note, our boy's quite capable of bringing back the dead via a certain jutsu that I'm sure we're all aware. Why, he could even bring a certain redhead back if he had the time, the means, and the inclination. Hell, if he ever met Jaune and was asked, he'd probably do it.**

***grins***

**Has Cinder come around?**

**Only time will tell. The fans seem divided.**

**Surprised about Cinder's eye? Bah, we've seen stranger feats.**

**Going to say it right now; in a straight up fight? THIS incarnation of Naruto would butcher Salem. Unfortunately, any sort of engagement with her would all but guarantee Kaguya's release. And given what we've that one capable of...yeah. Salem is by far the lesser evil. Meanwhile, our boy's something of a village sage/doctor, offering his services to those in need of -bandit, huntsman and civilian alike- while doing his best to stay off the grid and prevent himself from ****Had a blast writing this chapter.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**Review...Would You Kindly?**

**Here's a preview~!**

**Hope they warm your hearts!**

**(Preview)**

_"Trying to rob me? How novel. I offered you a place at my table. The cloak off my back. And you spat in my face."_

_His eyes turned white._

**_"Right then, you're going to die now."_**

_Cinder witnessed something horrific in that instant._

_The poor, unwitting stranger who'd tried to take something from Naruto...did not die well._

* * *

_"Yang! Look, look! Up here! I'm flyiiiiiiiing!"_

_"Ruby get down from there!"_

_"Wheee~!"_

* * *

_Mercury bared his teeth in a silent snarl. "Are you going to try and "fix" me too, old man?"_

_A blond brow arched upward. "I don't fix people, son..._

_It set him off. "I'M NOT YOUR SON!"_

_Naruto barely blinked._

_...I help them."_

* * *

_"Make yourself useful and fetch me some firewood, Hazel." a tan hand shooed him away. "I'm trying to teach Emerald."_

_"How much?"_

_Naruto rolled his eyes. __"As much as those beefy arms can carry. Off with you now, shoo!"_

_Hazel grunted, but noticed what the girl failed to. For all her earlier objections, she was certainly listening now. The girl was even taking notes as Naruto explained new uses for her Semblance. Hazel listened as well. Some of those uses were rather...creative in scope. Not particularly destructive or violent mind you, but creative. Hmm. This might be good for her. Emerald was many things, but her world and views revolved around Cinder and by definition, shaped her as a person. Even he knew this was unhealthy. Girl needed some support in her life. So he lingered. And he listened._

_"Now then, have you ever considered playing a prank on your metal-legged friend?"_

_"I've never thought about using it that way. Its hard to keep up in combat."_

_Naruto snorted. "Why my girl, you could be a prank queen."_

_Hazel heard her giggle as he left the hut behind._

_Good, indeed._

* * *

_"I had the pleasure of meeting the Spring Maiden, once."_

_Cinder snorted. "Of course you'd know that woman. Why am I not surprised._

_"No, not Raven, though she is a bit of a regular." the blond waved her words away and the alarm that came with them. "I'm talking about the last incarnation. Poor girl. She stumbled upon my clinic in the dead of night. I told her not to go looking for those bandits. She didn't listen...and we both know how that wound up, don't we?"_

_Cinder silently seethed at the reminder, but she made no effort to release the purring kitten nestled in her lap._

_Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Would you look at that? Seems that Ser Pounce has taken a liking to you."_

_...you are not calling our cat that."_

_"Our, you say? I wasn't aware you liked cats."_

_Her cheeks turned red. "Of course I don't! Idiot! Shut up!"_

**R&R~!**


	3. A Gentle Pace

**A/N: EDIT: Bloody flames! FINE! I took out the Adam bit.**

**I'm tired of getting ashed about for trying to redeem characters.**

**So much for trying something new, it seems I've only upset more people.**

**This chapter's more humorous; we need some sappy stuff in these dark times.**

_SPEAKING OF WHICH._

** I swear by all that is holy on this good green earth, if ONE more person points out that I'm a day behind on daily updates...! Seriously! I'm writing this while I'm bloody sick for crying out loud! Don't even know what the hell I have, only that its not the virus. Whatever it is has left me with a raging fever and no strength. Yet in spite of that, IN SPITE OF THAT, I'm still updating daily. You don't need much stamina to type. And yet a bunch of people keep reminding me that I'm behind. Stop poking the dragon, lest he bite.  
**

***twitches***

**I'm still updating daily.**

**Aiming for doubles, at that.**

**But at the end, I'm only human.**

**I'm also trying to update old stuff, too.**

**Now then, I hope you're all keeping healthy and safe.**

**Someone asked why Naruto hasn't given Cinder back her arm yet. Elementary, my dears. Considering**** there's currently a very powerful GRIMM limb on that sucker? I don't think she'd let him.**

**Also, Doctor!Naruto is best Naruto. He's gonna help you whether you want him to or not. Mental trauma? He's gonna try to fix it. Physical trauma? He's got a living goddess inside of him. He can all but bring back the dead for crying out loud!**

**On another note, this Naruto could easily create his own "Maidens" of a sort, splitting up Kaguya's power at the cost of weakening himself as Ozpin did. But he's not about to attempt that. Weakness aside, even a "piece" of a sentient Kaguya would likely try to consume her host, and only a handful of individuals have the willpower to hold her at bay.**

**Cinder's a bit of a Tsundere in this story, ain't she?**

**As ever, I own no quotes or references!**

**This is a pure Cinder chapter for...**

**...well. Reasons. You'll see.**

_"Let me be!"_

_"Can't. You're mentally unfit."_

_"Mentally unfit? What does that mean?!__"_

_"It means you're not ready to leave yet. Simple as that."_

_"Sorry boss, you heard him. Doctor's orders. Back to bed you go."_

_"Its for your own good, ma'am. We just want you to be safe and healthy."_

_"Wha-hey! No Stop! Let go of me! Traitors, the lot of you! I will have my reveeeeenge!"_

_~Cinder and Sage._

**A Gentle Pace**

_She'd been had!_

Cinder realized it the moment she finally managed to pry Emerald off her chest; it didn't take long to put two and two together while she held the delighted girl at bay. Less so to see Mercury and Hazel poking their heads through the door her minion flung open. Naruto's satisfied smile only served to sanction her suspicions. All this time thought herself alone. Abandoned by her allies. One look at Emerald's bandaged forehead told her all she needed to know. They'd taken injuries of their own. Yet she hadn't seen them for days. Which in turn begged the question:

"Where were you hiding them?!"

"As I said, you're not my only patient." Naruto jerked a thumb over his shoulder as the men sauntered in. "The burly one brought those two in for treatment shortly after I found you. Metal-legs over here sustained broken ribs. Little Emerald here wasn't even able to walk until recently. When she thought you died, she overtaxed her Semblance and nearly killed herself." his mismatching eyes narrowed upon her minion. "Come to think of it, I believe I told her to stay in bed. Perhaps she misheard me."

"Urk." The mint-haired girl wilted. "Sorry, sir." a pause and then, "Thank you for giving Cinder back her eye."

"Sir? I told ya already. Don't go callin' me that." the doctor drawled as he glided towards the door. "I'm not _that_ old. Oi, Gorilla." he said, addressing Hazel. "We're going hunting. Gonna need more than a deer to feed this many mouths tonight."

...I have a name." the larger man sighed. Much to Cinder's dismay, he still capitulated and followed him out.

"So you do." Naruto laughed. "Maybe I'll use it one day if you behave yourself. Now get over here!"

Cinder should have used their absence to escape; it was the most logical thing to do, really.

Instead she processed the exchange numbly, her mind awhirl for entirely other reasons.

Someone had nearly died for her? _Emerald _nearly died? For her? Why? She wasn't worth dying for. It was...a foreign feeling. She wasn't sure if she was proud, touched, or furious. Proud to inspire such raw loyalty in those beneath her, touched that there was someone in this world who nearly threw their life away out of grief for her, or furious that so useful a tool of hers would allow themselves to be overcome by emotions. The girl's unique Semblance was one a kind, the sort that only came about once in a lifetime. Losing her would have proven to be a major setback to her future plans. Not that they mattered now. Salem wouldn't let them return until they redeemed themselves.

Of course, her _own_ emotions chose that moment to burn all treaties and go to war in Cinder's head.

For a terrifying moment, she couldn't bring herself to move.

Still. Such selfless devotion deserved praise, in only to ensure further loyalty.

She wasn't proud of the girl, she lied to herself. She wasn't. No. Not at all. This was simply necessary.

Her gaze snapped to Emerald and perhaps expecting punishment of some sort for what she no-doubt viewed as a failure, the poor thing drooped even further. She felt like she'd just kicked an earnest puppy. Something in Cinder flinched, something that wouldn't have before. _Stop. Don't look at me like I'm the center of your world._ It was a weakness. Softness. Kindness. She had no need of either. Cinder knew this; Salem should have long since ground any such soft sentiment out of her. Yet she couldn't bring herself to quash this. She should chastise her. Condemn her for breaking down in a moment of crisis and failing to secure the relic. Punish her, at the very least.

But the hope in the girl's eyes was almost too painful to behold.

"Emerald," she bade, the word a purr, "Come here."

The girl did was she was bade. "Ma'am?"

"Is what he said true?" she demanded. "Did you risk yourself for my sake? Instead of the relic?"

Mercury whistled somewhere in the background. "Hoo, boy. She looks pissed."

Emerald had never looked so small and tiny as she did in this moment when she nodded. Well. That settled things, didn't it? Her failure was complete. With her Semblance, she could have stolen back the relic from those damn brats, or at the very least made things difficult for them in the face of her defeat. Instead she'd broken down, lost herself in her trauma, and flung her Semblance at everyone with such force that she'd nearly killed herself. Nearly thrown her life away. Stupid girl. There could be only one answer for her foolishness. No matter what Naruto might say to her.

Her hand descended.

Emerald flinched aside with a wince, expecting a slap or worse. It never came. Bandaged fingers stroked her scalp gently, caressing the minty tresses of her hair as a mother would her child. Without thinking the younger girl leaned into her touch. Just this once, Cinder allowed it.

...you did well, but never do that again." the words came out far softer than she intended. "Don't throw your life away for me."

She forced herself to smile. "Good girl."

Cinder realized her mistake instantly; because rather than accept this precious piece of praise for what it was, Emerald reacted to it._ Overreacted._ She knew it by widening of her eyes, the way her minion went suddenly and terribly still under her hand. Let it not be said that Cinder didn't know the girl's tells; after all, they'd been working together for some years now. She wouldn't be much of a villain if she couldn't control or manipulate those beneath her, much less read them. And everything her newly restored sight told her? Nothing good. No. Emerald. wouldn't. She couldn't. She didn't dare.

She would, and she did. "CINDER!"

A tan blue of green and brow cannoned into the former Maiden's chest with enough force to physically flatten her back against the bed, pillows and all. It didn't so much hurt as it did startle her; because Emerald never did this! Never! Ever! She knew better! Now her wounds hissed angrily -as did Cinder!- when the girl wrapped both arms around her and buried her head into her still-healing collarbone shoulder. To make matters worse, she started sobbing. Weeping into her shoulder like some newborn babe. Ugh! Sentiment! It burned!

"I thought you were dead." she babbled into her shoulder, shaking her head to and fro. "We all did...how did you survive?!"

Cinder did not like being touched. Hugged, even less so. She said as much.

"Get! Off!"

Emerald did so immediately, and Cinder stubbornly quashed another pang of guilt.

Taking a moment to gathered the shattered shards of her pride, the blackette forced herself to sit up and straighten. Yes, she reminded herself. She was in control here. She set the pace. While that blond buffoon was out she could plot, she could plan, and find a way to get back into Salem's good graces. She might not have her Maiden powers anymore, but she still held her wit and her skills. Her mind and her body remained her greatest weapons. They had served her in her weakest days, and it would serve her now. Her. Not this quack of a doctor.

"Mercury. Emerald." Her voice was still recovering, but it was enough to make her cohorts stand at attention. "This man is a means to an end." she lied. :Nothing more." of course she lied. "Do you understand?" Why was she still lying? "Do not get attached."

"Meh. No problem." Mercury shrugged. "Don't much like the guy."

Emerald almost looked...dare she say conflicted? "Yes ma'am. I understand."

"Whipped." Mercury swiped at the air and made a cracking sound with his tongue.

Emerald launched a pair of pillows at him from the bed, but the assassin nimbly dodged aside with taciturn ease.

"Enough, both of you." Cinder's voice may as well have _been _a whip the way it cracked at them. "Did your Semblance work on him?"

...no." the green-haired girl confessed, realizing the question had been meant for her. "He just laughed and told me to try harder next time. He's...

She flushed and turned aside, suddenly hesitant to speak.

"Well, what is it? Out with it, girl."

"He's been teaching me." the words tumbled out, startling her. "Training, really. He said I have potential."

Well! This was an unexpected development, but not an unfavorable one. "Did he now?"

"What are we going to do?" Mercury inquired. "Should I-

"Continue. For now."

His earlier scare aside, she wasn't willing to test Naruto's patience. Not yet. Not when he'd displayed a power well above her own. Earlier she might have been willing throw Hazel and her allies she might be able to take him down. If she had her Maiden Powers she was sure she could've put up a fight. But now? One glace at the duo and that hope was dashed against the rocky shores of reality. He'd subverted them somehow, weakened their will to the cause; or perhaps he'd simply given then what they wanted. He had them wrapped around his finger. Just as he did her-

_"Aaaaaand we're back!"_

Just like that the door to the hut crashed open.

Mercury turned. "Huh. That was awfully quick. How did you..._thatisabigfish."_

Cinder's gaze snapped away from her cohorts to see what Mercury was gibbering at this time. She soon had her answer as a large shape was hauled through. Oh. My. That was a rather large specimen. How had he caught something like that so swiftly? Gods, why did Hazel have an entire armful of the blasted things? Had they simply dove into the river to catch them?! They weren't even wet! Fishing? No, it hadn't been long enough. More of Naruto's so-called Magic at work? To catch ten fish longer than her arm in as many minutes...that was absurd.

To make matters worse, they weren't alone. There was a _kitten_ following them.

...what the actual hell.

"What...is that?"

It was a tawny dirty little thing with bright green eyes, trotting after the two men without so much as a care in the world; which was precisely why Cinder noticed it in the first place. There was not so much as a hint of fear in its posture. If anything it looked perfectly at home here in the hut. Baffling. Animals were meant to fear humans. Yet this one pawed at Naruto's leg and mewled pitifully as he began to prepare their meal. Hazel and the rest were able to ignore it with ease, but her gaze still lingered all the same. She'd seen one just like it as a child. She remembered feeding it scraps.

She wanted to pet it.

"Hmm? The cat?" Following her gaze, Naruto flicked a bit of fish at the tiny beast while he worked. "Its just the village stray. Harmless."

When it saw her, the little beast mewled and padded over to the foot of her bed._ Kitty!_ Cinder's heart gave a painful girlish lurch at the sight, and her human hand reached out to pet it without thinking. She clamped down on it with her Grimm arm until the pain cleared her head. Naruto noticed immediately, if the impish gleam in his eyes gave any indication. Of course he did something about it. How could he not? In a plume of smoke -one that noticeably didn't make any of her allies jump- he left the meal prep to a doppelganger and stepped in to scoop the small feline up. Then he offered it to her.

"Here you go." he said.

Cinder bristled. "No. Get it away."

He read her bluff. "You were trying to pet it just now."

"Was I?" Cinder's voice turned coy. "Whatever do you mean?"

A rare flash of anger cross Naruto's visage. "You're being difficult."

As if to second this statement, the kitten made a pitiful meow in his grasp.

Cinder's resolve began to tremble. It looked so small and helpless...no! Stay strong!"

"Cease this foolishness." she rallied herself and looked away spat. "I don't want to touch it."

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Alright, then. I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I gave her to Emerald then-

_"Mine!"_

Cinder's human arm betrayed her just as her voice did; sweeping forward to snatch the little hellion up before he _or_ her minion could lay claim it. In a heartbeat she'd pulled it into her lap, curling her natural limb around it. Another had her stroking its coat. To make matters worse, the little creature started purring. Well, that tore it. She was lost. Blast it all. When had she come undone? In that moment she wanted nothing more than to bury her head in a pillow and pretend this never happened. Someone's Scroll -MERCURY!- clicked in the background, immortalizing the moment forever, and her temper blazed. How dare he. This meant war!

"Emerald." her word was a hiss.

"Ma'am?" the younger girl stood rigid at attention.

_"Aim for the head."_ It was a command, not a request. And she did.

Mercury's terror was sweet music to her ears. "N-Now hold on a second-

Doctor or no, Naruto hadn't sworn any oaths; he stood idly by when Emerald flew at the assassin in a whirl of motion and summarily beat the tar out of him. Nor did he bat an eyelash when the wily woman snatched up his Scroll in the chaos. Noticeably, she didn't break it. And if Cinder failed to notice, who was he to say anything? He had other plans. And if Cinder just so happened to be distracted by a kitten in the midst of it? Well. He wasn't about to say anything.

"Now then," he raised his voice to make himself heard, "Did you want to continue with your lessons while we wait, Emerald?"

The girl perked up, pausing just long enough to glance at Cinder for acknowledgement.

"Make yourself useful and fetch some firewood, Hazel." she instructed the larger man. "Dinner will be ready when you return."

Damn him and his knowing smile. "How much?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "As much as those beefy arms can carry. Off with you now, shoo!"

Hazel grunted, but noticed what the girl failed to. For all her earlier objections and plots, she was eager to sit down. Eager to listen. The girl was even taking notes as Naruto explained new uses for her Semblance. Hazel listened as well. Some of those uses were rather...creative in scope. Not particularly destructive or violent mind you, but creative. Hmm. This might be good for her. Emerald was many things, but her world and views revolved around Cinder and by definition, shaped her as a person. Even he knew this was unhealthy. Girl needed some support in her life. So he lingered, allowing a now-bruised Mercury to bustle past him. And he listened.

Hazel heard her giggle as he left the hut behind. Good, indeed.

"Right," Naruto continued under Cinder's watchful eye, "We'll continue where we left off last time; you are the only limit to your Semblance." he paused, brow quirking as the girl listened raptly. "Your Semblance is a part of you as much as you are it. Think of it as a muscle, one you need to strengthen. _You _define where it ends, _you_ define what it affects, and you expend your stamina to maintain it. Unlike a genjutsu, you don't need seals or any-

"Genjutsu?"

"Slip of the tongue," the blond muttered. "Ignore it."

Cinder didn't. She filed the word away for later. Another piece of the puzzle.

"Now then, have you ever considered playing a prank on your metal-legged friend?" Naruto inquired.

"I've never thought about using it that way." Emerald shook her head slowly. "Its hard to keep up in combat, and if I use it on more than one person-

"Yes, yes, the headaches." the whiskered warrior thumbed his chin. "I believe that's merely a matter of stamina. Easily addressed, that. You just needed the right person to train you." when he thumbed a lone digit at his chest, it was all she could do not to roll her eyes. "With the right motivation...well!" A pale hand rose to scratch the back of his head. "Lets just say your potential's kinda scary. Even for me. If you think of it as a field, you could even expand it from your body." Another laugh. "Like I said, you're scary."

Emerald preened at the ill-hidden praise. Scary, he'd said. She liked that. "You think so?"

Naruto barked a laugh. "Why my girl, you could be a prank queen."

Cinder observed them patiently as the minutes dragged on into an hour, then two. Three. Four. All the while the sun sank lower in the sky; all the while she tried to ascertain his purpose and failed. Utterly. What did he gain from training Emerald like this? Her loyalty? Emerald would not be so easily swayed...was what she wanted to tell herself. But the girl's eyes were bright and keen on Naruto as he continued his lecture. Blast it. She didn't like this. Where were Hazel and Mercury? Were they dragging their feet? Had the authorities found them? Something was wrong here. Her shoulders tightened with tension, a thread of doubt weaving itself into her heart.

"I had the pleasure of meeting the Spring Maiden, once." Naruto said suddenly, jarring her from her reverie. "Someone like you might've been enough to make her change her ways."

Cinder snorted. "Of course you'd know that woman. Why am I not surprised?"

"No, not Raven, though she is a bit of a regular." the blond waved her words away and the alarm that came with them. "I'm talking about the last incarnation. Poor girl. She stumbled upon my clinic in the dead of night. I told her not to go looking for those bandits. She didn't listen...and we both know how that wound up, don't we?"

Cinder silently seethed at the reminder, but she made no effort to release the purring kitten nestled in her lap.

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Would you look at that? Seems that Ser Pounce has taken a liking to you."

...you are not calling our cat that." Weakness, blast it! And he seized it, too!

"Our, you say?" His right eye gleamed. "I wasn't aware you liked cats."

Her cheeks turned red. "Of course I don't! Idiot! Shut up-

And the world shook.

It wasn't so much a tremor as it was an explosion of noise and sound; one moment Cinder had been sitting abreast of her bed, scowling at her host as her good leg swung lazily over the side. She was...well, not content, but neither could she call herself angry. In the next a vicious blast of something shattered her world, tore off the roof, and sent her tumbling to the floor. By some instinct, she'd managed to clutch the kitten to her breast and protect it; her Aura did the rest. It didn't make her landing any less pleasant or humiliating.

Emerald bolted upright. "What in the world?!"

Screams rippled outside, waves of fear and anger, the scent of fire and flames reaching Cinder's nose. She didn't need to see them to know the cause, just as she didn't need her former power to know what was about to transpire. Her darkened arm had already begun to ache long before she found her footing. She knew what it meant long before someone slammed through the door and started shouting for Naruto's presence. Grimm. Of course it would be them. It explained Mercury and Hazel's absence. As if things weren't bad enough. Did the gods hate her? Had she lost Salem's protection? She couldn't fight properly. Not with a bad leg, not with-

"Well," a familiar voice croaked, "We were overdue for an attack anyway. Time to put those lessons into practice, Emerald."

Naruto stood, catching her eye. Without thinking she grabbed at him.

"Where are you going?"

Mismatching eyes pulsed back at her.

"Thought that would be obvious. I'm going to work."

Her minion hesitated, suddenly caught between the two of them. "But Cinder will be...

"Fine." the blond interjected. "She's more than capable of killing whatever comes through this door."

Without so much as a backward glance, he sauntered outside into the night. A moment passed. Then another.

Somehow, despite all she'd seen and heard thus far, Cinder was still surprised when it was the _Grimm_ who began screaming.

**A/N: Ah, the obligatory Grimm attack. Every story has one.**

**Fight -slaughter, more like!- next chapter.**

** And there we go.**

**We didn't get to see team RWBY this time around for a reason; because ****Cinder still thinks she can turn this around. Poor, poor Cinder.**

**I...wouldn't call this Naruto good. But I wouldn't go so far as to label him as evil either. ****At the end of the day, Naruto, is still Naruto. He lives to help people, and through his life experiences his idea of "saving" the people around him has become a touch extreme. Be it through words or actions, or even something as simple as tending their wounds. Be ye good or evil, it doesn't matter. In his own words he doesn't "fix" people. He helps them. Sometimes helping means healing. Sometimes healing entails a swift kick in the ass. Or murder. ****Depends on the day, really.**

**He's taken it upon himself to help Cinder and her allies for now. Wonder how long that'll last?**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

** Here. We. Go.**

**(Preview)**

_Ruby inhaled._

_Exhaled. Raised Crescent Rose high. __And the scythe's edge coated itself in red flame. When she tried again, lightning shot from her fingers. __Ruby didn't cackle. Villains cackled. But she DID giggle._

_Qrow slapped a palm to his forehead. "As if she wasn't dangerous enough..._

* * *

_"Like I said, you're not my old man." Mercury growled. "I don't need anything from you."_

_"Oh? Then I take it you wouldn't want your Semblance back-_

_"Nope. I take it back. Best dad ever."_

* * *

_...whatever you're doing to Cinder? Keep doing it."_

_Naruto didn't look up from his book. "Why, whatever do you mean?"_

_Emerald turned scarlet. "You know! She smiles now! Hugs me! Treats me like..._

_"Like a daughter?" he turned the page without so much as batting an eyelash. "Good. She should."  
_

_Much to his amusement, the teenager slapped a palm to her forehead. "By the gods, you can be such a DAD-_

_A peal of bemused laughter startled her and caused her__ hands to clamp down over her mouth. Too late. She couldn't take the words back. __Bemused eyes rose as the wily doctor took his hand from the pages of his journal to favor her with a dry look. __Emerald opened her mouth to refute him...and it clicked shut thrice as fast. Huh. He'd fed her, clothed her, tended to her wounds, and listened to her words. Didn't parent's do that?_

_"Hug?" Naruto chuckled, not moving his arms an inch._

_"Ugh, no!" Emerald shuddered. "You're old!"_

_"You're being a very bad daughter..._

_"NARUTO!"_

* * *

_Raven jerked back as if she'd been burned. "The hell is that?!"_

_A hand settled on her shoulder from behind and the roving Maiden jumped half a foot._

_"So you found it." __Naruto's voice hissed in her ear. "__Are you happy with yourself? You nosy little...!"_

* * *

_"You can bring back the dead?!"_

_"That is indeed what I said, mister Arc." Naruto nudged the revived squirrel with his foot, sending the restored creature skittering back into the brush. "Its not something I do lightly. If everyone knew I could bring back their loved ones, I'd be swarmed. I'll have to ask you to refrain from speaking of this._

_Odd. With the way he spoke, this guy almost reminded him of Ozpin but...older. Stranger. There was something ancient and unknowable in those gleaming blue eyes; as if standing in his presence would somehow impart the secrets to the universe or somesuch. Jaune didn't care about that. He'd latched onto the those last few words with all the tenacity of an Ursa. Naruto's arm? Moreso. He'd thought they'd met by chance, that this was some random encounter in the dark but this...this must be fate! What else could it be?! The words sprang to his lips. __"Could you-_

_"I could. But why? I don't know you. __My means aren't perfect, nor is my eye. I require...a sacrifice."_

_Jaune wilted when those mismatching eyes found his.__ faltered. "I...is this a test or something? No. Use me. It should be me."_

_"No. I think not." the sage sniffed, causing the blond to stumble. "Though if there were a test, you just passed it. Do you have anything of hers? A piece of cloth, perhaps? Anything with her DNA?"_

**R&R~!**


	4. The Devil Within

**A/N: EDIT: Begone, death threats! The POWER OF PRINT COMPELS YOU!**

**A Most Unlikely Berserker is taking longer than expected so here, have this in the meantime.**

**Also, I may have... broke my computer. Because reasons. So I apologize for any spelling errors found here.**

**I'm going bloody maaaaaaaaaaad being cooped up in my house over here, and I expect it'll be like this for months yet.**

**However! Its given me a chance to update a far more rapid pace, and I'm grateful for that. If I can provide a little joy for others in these dark times, then that makes me happy. So enough about me. ****At last we come to Naruto's perspective; something I've been holding myself back from, because we needed to see how Cinder functioned. This chapter is told from her viewpoint as well as theirs; a fact I'm sure many of you will notice. We also get to check in on Team RWBY...and others.**

**Someone asked if Cinder has a theme...and if I had to pick? I'd say ****Devil Within by Digital Daggers.**

**We're picking up right were we left of here, folks. ****As ever, I own no quotes or references! ****Now we can get to the good bits...and all the madness they entail. ****Once again, bits of verbatim here and there, ****Angry!Cinder is best Cinder, yadda yadda yadda... ****Also, full credit to Pirikko on Tumblr, for the comic that inspired a scene here. I believe the comic's name was "A_t night you close your eyes and you see him."_ Not sure, but I wanted to give credit where its due. Omadhon on youtube did a fine dubbing of said comic.**

**Naruto has a weapon of his own here; something I'm sure folks from Bloodborne will appreciate.**

**Naruto's not nearly as broken as the "Killing Monsters" incarnation, but in a way, he's worse off. He doesn't deem his life to have value.**

**Furthermore, I've taken liberties with Mercury's Semblance, given that we never see it.**

**After all, he gets it back in this chapter...oops, did I just say that?**

**Why, I believe I did. How silly of me.**

**Now then...off we go!**

_"Enough! What is wrong with you? How can you be so broken inside?!"_

_"If my sacrifice saves others, then I'd say that's a fair trade, wouldn't you...why did you just slap me?"_

_"You save so many lives, then say that your own is worth nothing! All with that damn smile on your face! You exist! You have meaning! Worth! Yet you cry for those you've slain?!"_

_"NO. I won't shed any tears for the Grimm. Its just...sometimes I...forget what I used to be. Who I used to be. Its funny, you know? I try to bury myself in my work. Help people. Heal them. But then I remember, and knowing once I was not...not this. This fucking thing. This monster..._

_"What did you just say?"_

_...nevermind. __It was a slip. Don't worry. It won't happen again..._

_~Cinder and Sage._

**The Devil Within**

_"Are you ready?"_

Ruby Rose inhaled deeply.

Then she exhaled thrice as hard.

Trembling fingers raised Crescent Rose.

Silver eyes squinted against hazy moonlight.

Alright. She could do this. Crazy Maiden Powers. How bad could it be? She'd been training for days now, careful to keep her new "tricks" under wraps. Ozpin had been adamant on that; it wouldn't do for Salem to discover that she'd lost so useful a pawn, or so he claimed. For once Ruby was...less then pleased with his advice. She didn't like being cooped up like this, treated like glass. Staying in Haven would give her some much needed time to master her new abilities before they set out. And maybe not zap Weiss. No matter how funny that might've been the first time.

Alright. Breathe. Concentrate...

"Oh gods, her eyes are glowing again!" Yang cried in faux despair. "Duck and cover!"

Ruby made a keening noise.

_"Stoppit~!"_

That distraction cost her dearly as Ozpin's cane swooped at her face.

She yelped and parried out of instinct if nothing else, only to find her scythe's edge coated itself in red flame. Oops? When she tried to parry again her body betrayed her and lightning leaped from her fingers to strike her opponent in the chest. Ruby didn't cackle. Villains cackled. But she DID giggle as Oscar's body tumbled backwards. It felt good to finally hit him for once. Even if have been an accident. This power was...well. Try as she might, she didn't have a word for it, save that it felt alive. Alive, and eager for action. But still! Victory!

"Ha!" she crowed, pumping a fist. "Got it this time!"

"Well done, miss Rose." she preened beneath Ozpin -he stood too straight to be Oscar- and his gentle praise. "Now, I believe you were interested in the practical applications of flight?"

Ruby_ squealed._ "Yes, please!"

Qrow tipped his flask to his lips and bit back a sigh. "As if she wasn't dangerous enough...

He knew that Maiden Powers were a good thing; he just wished his niece wasn't the vessel for them. Damnit. Why did it have to be Ruby? If she wasn't a target before, she'd be one now. Salem would come howling for her head once she understood just how thoroughly she'd been played. Did Ruby realize that? Probably. Should he rain on her parade and wipe that smile from her face? Absolutely not. Qrow was many things, but cruel wasn't one of them. She had her team. She had JNPR. She had him and Ozpin. She'd be safe. He'd make certain of it.

He wouldn't -couldn't!- break his promise to Summer; even it cost him his life. Gods, he missed her.

Somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard a Beowolf howl.

Wait..._was_ that a Beowolf? Grimm didn't laugh.

Meh. Someone was having a good time.

* * *

(.0.0.0.)

* * *

Naruto howled out a laugh as he ripped through another Grimm.

Gods this felt good.

Wind in his face, pulse pounding in his ears, all the world a vivid whorl of color as the broken bodies of countless Grimm writhed and twisted around him. It made Naruto feel young again. Here and now, in the thrill of the moment, all his sins were forgotten; all his misdeeds and mistakes pushed to the wayside. He didn't have to think, didn't need to restrain himself. Grimm were mindless beasts, wholly devoid of logic or reason. There could be no bargaining with them, no talking them down from a fright, no sparing them.

So he didn't.

Instead, laughter leaped from his lips -laughter that didn't belong to him- as he pounced upon a Greater Ursa and viciously divested the beast of its head before turning to hurl its dissolving body into a pack of immature Deathstalkers some yards away. Caught unprepared by the unorthodox missile, most of the gangly creatures were flattened beneath its bulk. Just as well; he flicked a pair of clones toward the stragglers and didn't spare the rest so much as a passing glance as he turned back to the fray.

It was a fine night for a hunt.

Strength surged back into his weary body as he fought on through the horde and rallied the people to him; never in front of him, but behind him. _Always_ behind him and out of harms way, forcing the Grimm to focus on him and him alone. This village was no stranger to their kind; they'd fought them before and knew they would fight them again. He'd taught them well in his time among them. He wouldn't teach them about chakra, no, _never chakra,_ but nearly every man, woman and child had their Aura unlocked. Of that group, every adult knew how to fight. They had to, this far from Haven. Beset by bandits and Grimm alike, they'd learned to survive long ago.

"Somebody get me my bloody weapon!"

He barked the words into the chaos and sure enough, an ax sailed through the air to meet his waiting palm.

A strange hybridization of a cleaver and saw alike, it was a weapon meant for one purpose and one alone, with a long handle and a curved blade that bent around said handle to make better use of centrifugal force. The staple of those who weren't quite huntsmen, but weren't civilians either. This was a crude and ugly tool, meant for one purpose. Rip and tear. The name he'd said instrument was...apt, to say the least.

_Devil's Rot._

That tainted saw, coated in corrosive chakra, swung down neatly to bisect a Beowulf and slash through a larger Boarbatusk's skull when it rolled at him. Naruto grunted in satisfaction and chambered the switch at the base of the handle, causing the long edge to snap outward as he wielded it like a club. Grimm died in droves to its pointed teeth, felled by low cuts and hard blows.

Those that didn't fell to his fists or his clones.

Still, for every ten he slew, more spilled from the trees and the sky to take their place; he tried to hold back, to avoid using chakra overmuch, lest it agitate his body...and his tenant within. Once upon a time, Naruto might have wondered what could've stirred so many Grimm up in such numbers, but he'd long since shed that foolish brick-headed ignorance. Now he knew the answer, just as his body knew the threat before him and responded accordingly. _Instinctively._ Call it the legacy of a misspent youth.

_Now?_

He tore another Beowulf in half and found an ashen-faced Mercury waiting for him on the other side. _Well._ Good to know the little punk was still alive. They must've been drawn back by the fighting. Hazel likely wasn't far behind, judging by the furious roar somewhere behind him. But still, the silver-haired teen continued to gape at him.

"What the hell are you?" he rasped.

Naruto blew out a breath._ Complicated, _he thought.

Instead, he laid a hand on Mercury's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

An angry Beowolf lunged at them and he eviscerated its jaw with his free hand.

"I'm fine. Stop that. You're not my old man." the teen growled and shook his other arm off. "I don't need anything from you."

The ancient shinobi bit back the urge to roll his eyes. Good lord, the Grimm were attacking and the boy was trying to be edgy. Sasuke would've laughed at him. Still, he could see the problem readily enough; his altered eye told him all he needed to know about the boy. Aura was the soul, and this boy had his all but ripped away when his Semblance was sealed. Not stolen. Sealed. It was still there. He could sense, see that tiny ember beating in the boy's chest. It had always been there. Really, the remedy was obvious. He just had to wake it up again. He'd done it once before; it would be the work of moments...and perhaps a way to push the boy back onto the right path.

"Oh?" so he let a slow, sleepy smile dawn on his whiskered cheeks. "Then I take it you wouldn't want your Semblance back?"

Mercury's jaw clicked shut in childish defiance. "Bullshit. You can't do that. No one can."

Was that a challenge? Naruto seized him before he could protest.

"For it is in time that we find our meaning." One hand alighted on the boy's forehead and the other touched his chest as a faint silver glow suffused his form. "Through healing that we preserve others. Through words we save the world." he intoned the words rapidly as the world burned around them. "Through kindness we preserve the bonds we hold dear. Mercury Black." for a fleeting instant, his eyes burned white. "I awaken your soul once more and by my words unshackle thee."

He released him and the assassin jerked back as if he'd been slapped, gaping at his hands as though he'd grown extra fingers. "I...you...how?! What did you just do?!"

"I gave you back your Semblance." Naruto prodded his chest with a finger. "You never lost it. It was just asleep. I woke it up again."

...I know." The boy balked at him, eyes flitting to his palms. "I can feel it. Its _there._ My old man never stole it?"

Naruto shrugged awkwardly. "Doesn't seem like it?"

For a fleeting instant, the boy looked lost. "What do I do now?"

Oh for the love of...?! He was asking that question?! Here!? Now?! He pushed him forward. _"Fight."_

"You know what?" A small, sly grin tugged at the corner of Mercury's mouth. "I take it back. Best dad ever."

Naruto clutched his black heart and nearly keeled backward. Sticks and stones could break a man's bones, but those words? Critical damage. _Dad?!_ Urk. He'd never been called that before. For all his poking and prodding of Salem's minions, he hadn't expected one of them to crumble this fast, least of all to call him that. And didn't _that_ just make him feel old as dirt? Even if he didn't look it. Still, it was...not an unpleasant feeling.

So he slapped his shoulder and sent him on his way. "Go get 'em, kid."

To his credit the assassin recovered quickly from his brief lapse and spun back into the melee with a smirk. Naruto almost pitied the Beowolf he fell upon. Mercury's semblance was a powerful piece of work; the more hits he landed on an opponent, the more damage he did. Fitting for one who knew his trade. Naruto let him fight, content in the knowledge that he could look after himself. Good kid. Bit fucked up in the head and all, nothing he couldn't fix given time. But now was the time for _fighting_, not fixing. Still, an amusing thought niggled at him.

_...did I just adopt a criminal?'_ he wondered. _'Huh. Feels kinda nice.'_

He punted a Boarbatusk that tried to barrel into him and waded in where the Grimm were the thickest.

Yet no matter how many he hacked and slashed, more kept coming, drawn to him like a beacon. It was always like this.

Grimm would inevitably focus on him to the exclusion of all else. His...passenger guaranteed that. Even sealed, Kaguya was a blight upon him. Her very presence radiated negativity, moreso when he fought. Still, it was a bit unusual for so large a swarm to strike in the dead of_-oops. _Something slapped against his back and he plucked a Nevermore from his shoulder. Sloppy work.

"Really?" he asked of the squawking bird as it flailed in his grasp, "What did you think this would accomplish?"

It shot a nasty caw at him and he broke the creature's neck without a second thought. A shadow fell over him a heartbeat later, blotting out the moonlight.

Mismatching eyes of sapphire and violet rose to meet mindless red ones. Despite himself, despite knowing it was futile, Naruto still smiled. "I don't suppose we could talk about this?"

Twin fists descended on his skull, only to stop short against the biting edge of Devil's Rot. Beringel were not quiet creatures; he'd heard the ape coming ages ago, nor was Grimm flesh a match for the chakra of a tainted god. Tan fingers flicked out before the beast could try pound him to paste between its meaty fists again. Devil's Rot slipped between its legs and the Grimm's legs buckled, leaving it to crumple with a whimper. His weapon took it high and hard in the throat, cutting its yelp into a pitiful hiss.

"See, that's not very nice." Naruto hummed over its tortured shrieks. "You're gonna make me angry at this rate." His gaze narrowed. "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

Yet another Ursa lunged at him while he dispatched it; one of his clones must've missed it among the others. He snagged its paw in passing with his free hand and tore it free. In that same movement he took that great burly limb and ruthlessly rammed it through the belly of the beast. It didn't even have a chance to feel the pain; his right hand slammed forward and smashed a Rasengan through its skull. It was still dissolving when a large Beowolf bounded through its remains to tackle him in a shadowy blur. On a whim, he decided to pit his strength against the beast.

Less so the rest of the pack that dog-piled onto him. Persistent bastards.

In another life, he would've been crushed under their weight. Now? he merely snorted and raised a hand.

_"Almighty Push."_

A rolling wave of concussive force exploded from Naruto's palm to dash the Grimm against one another, grinding them to sullen dust. Somehow, one of the larger ones managed to survive. Annoyed, he climbed to his feet and reached out again, yanking it towards him with a Divine Pull.

To its credit, the beast actually managed to bite him before he grabbed it; slavering jaws crunched down on his chest, tearing through flesh and bone. A human would've died. Naruto had no heart left to pierce, no lungs to sunder, and so only clicked his tongue in mild admonishment of himself as much as the beast as he snatched it up by the throat, prying it jaws free from his chest. Uncaring of the holes left behind. Its confused gurgle was sweet, sweet music to his ears. Their confusion never got old. Something dark in him fed on their fear.

He thought he heard Emerald gasp somewhere behind him, but he paid her no mind.

Unused to being overpowered, the Beowolf went wild in his grasp, limbs flailing to tear great bloody furrows in his face and throat. Blood stained white claws red, but he barely felt the wounds; pain was an old friend these days. They'd already closed by the time the beast reared for a second strike. He never gave it a chance to finish what it started.

"Bad dog." Naruto admonished, tightening his grip on the Grimm's jugular. "You should know better."

It slashed weakly at him again.

That mighty roar withered to a whine then a whimper as he crushed its windpipe. Red eyes bulged in abject horror as he tossed it into the air and caught it by the leg, hefting all seven feet of it like a crude flail. This time, Naruto wasn't able to keep the smile from his face. He was losing control, sliding down a slippery slope from which there might be no coming back. He knew it, but in that moment he couldn't bring himself to care. His blood was up. So much anger. So much fear.

"Come on, then!" the words tore out of him in a roar. "Who wants some?!"

A pack of Beringel accepted his challenge and barreled towards him.

For all its intelligence, his captive Beowolf couldn't do anything more than squeak when he bashed it against them. Naruto cackled again and smashed it against another Grimm, flattening an unlucky Ursa beneath its bulk as if it were no more than a cub. Beating one bastard with another bastard. Huh. He was sure there was a pun to be had there somewhere, but he couldn't think of one. He was too busy laughing; didn't even realize that his impromptu weapon had expired until he realized he was fighting with his hands again.

Casting its crumbing corpse aside, he snatched up his weapon and bounded back into the fray.

Violence was so...uncivilized, but he recognized it as a necessary evil. After all, you couldn't barter with the Grimm.

But as much as he might loathe it, someone savored the bloodshed. Even now he could hear Kaguya singing in the back of his head, cackling at the carnage as he crushed every Grimm before him. One manged to swat his weapon out of his hand, leaving him to fight on with his fists. All the while, the rabbit goddess laughed at him. At herself. At everyone. She wasn't even sane anymore; just a writhing mass of power, of hateful envy, sloth, greed, and lust every sin made manifest. Of course she enjoyed this. Her presence made him nearly indestructible and she fed off every life he took-

Naruto missed a step as a spike of red hot agony shoved itself through his temple. Damnit. Not now.

**"Yes, now!"** her silken voice cried in the back of his head. **"Hack and slash! Rip and tear! Kill them! Kill them all! KILL!"**

Her childish enthusiasm for the slaughter sickened him and his thoughts turned inward as he fought on; even as a brutish Beringel burst when he flung a Rasenshuriken at it. Not enough. He wanted to tear them apart-no. Calm thoughts. He couldn't afford to rile _her_ up overmuch, lest he lose control of himself. Even now he was nearly drunk on her chakra. It burned through his veins, hot and heady, demanding a release...so he did the next best thing. If she wanted a chance to vent, he'd give her one...just not in the way she intended.

A simple crossing of his hands flooded the village with more shadow clones.

They appeared everywhere; some alighted atop buildings, others in the trees, still more crouched with weapons in hand. For a fleeting instant everything froze, even the Grimm themselves, startled by the sudden influx of bodies. Hundreds of them. Naruto felt his smile twist into something monstrous as everyone gaped at him, human and monster alike. Even his allies. Ants. They were all ants to be crushed and-no. He stubbornly tamped it down and blew out an angry breath. He wouldn't lose control. He refused.

"Time wrap things up, boys!" his voice boomed at the lot of them. "Go! Protect the people!"

With that simple act, the battle was all but won.

He fought on, tracking any strays that tried to break away from the flood of death he'd just unleashed. It was all he could do. He'd come to this world to hide, not to hurt. To seal himself away, and when that had failed, eke out a humble existence on his own. Even healing came as a whim; he'd used his talents to help someone on death's door, just once, and word spread. People found him. Soon enough, this village sprang up around him over time as supplicants came to him; one he found himself tasked with protecting. It was and always would be a far cry from Hokage, but living here made him happy.

And now he rained death on those that would harm his precious piece of paradise.

Mercury and Hazel gaped at him as a rampaging herd of Goliath went down with an anguished wail; mighty trunks flailing as their bodies were swarmed by a raging river of doppelgangers. Emerald poked her head out just in time to see flocks of Manticores die in droves as a hail fireballs sent them tumbling from the sky. Cinder was given the express pleasure of watching the forest come to life around her; of seeing giant Griffins crash to the ground as the very earth betrayed them; roots leaping up to snag the beasts from the sky and drag them screaming into the mud, never to be seen again.

And just like that, the world went silent.

It took Naruto a handful of seconds to realize that the Grimm incursion had been stymied; that the battle was done and people were looking to him for guidance. Guidance. _Ha!_ Bitterness bubbled up inside of him as he felt his fingers twitch traitorously at his sides. One hand descended on his scalp, pushing down the horns he'd felt growing for the better part of five minutes now. _Kaguya's horns._ Those ghastly red things resisted him despite his best attempts, so he snapped them off in a fit of pique.

**"More!" **Kaguya cried in his head.

_No._ it was time to stop. Anymore than this and he really _would_ lose control. Blowing out a breath, he bled his tension away and forced himself to face his people. There were bodies, of course. There were always bodies. It didn't matter. He wouldn't let them die of anything less than natural causes, and if someone did, he'd correct that mistake. They knew that. They trusted him. Death held no meaning to any of these people. Why should it? people...because they didn't comprehend the cost. With every soul he snatched back from death, he felt a little more of himself slip away . Didn't matter. Their lives mattered more than his. He was _content_ to fade away if it meant dragging Kaguya to the void alongside him.

"You all fought well." he congratulated each of them. "Bring the wounded to me, and I'll-

_"You're hurt."_

Emerald's words and her hands on his arm -when had she gotten that close?!- brought him up short.

"Shit." Mercury hissed, and just like that, the blond found himself cornered. "That doesn't look good. Trust me, I'd know."

Frowning at their pointed concern as much as his own irritation, the ancient shinobi glanced past those concerned eyes and stole a glance at his ruined coat. Saw the still mending wounds in his torso. Oh. No wonder they were concerned. That looked grisly. Even now he could hints of white bone of his ribs peeking through the muscle. Hmm. Must've expended more energy than he thought if he hadn't recovered yet. The thought brought with it an feeling, an almost childish pang of concern. Nonsense. He _would_ recover. He always healed. He always did. It was his curse.

"It doesn't matter." and it didn't, not in the grand scheme of things. He turned away from her. "As I said, bring the wounded."

Emerald recoiled, incredulously. _"You're_ the one who's wounded! How are you still standing?!"

"Because I must." Naruto frowned at her. If not him, who would?

He expected them to simply back down, that this would be the end of their argument. It wasn't. Sure enough the two teenagers pursed their lips and stepped away, but even as they did so, Naruto heard an all-too-familiar snarl sunder the air behind him. A lifetime ago, he would've given a groan and palmed his face. Now? He merely rolled his eyes when an arm of darkest shadows closed around his left wrist to reel him in. He could've removed said arm in any number of ways, could've killed its owner in an instant. He chose not to, and weathered the tirade that followed with stoic patience.

"You absolute buffoon!"

_"Cinder."_ he sighed, turning to stare into angry amber eyes. "You shouldn't be out of bed."

She really shouldn't be; but when had common sense prevailed her before? Still, she stood before him. Even then she looked as though she might topple over at the slightest breeze. Her lovely visage was pale and slicked with sweat and though she'd managed to find her red dress and climb back into it, it couldn't disguise the way she held herself. Her gait was clearly off, body poised awkwardly on her good leg, and she all but clung to him for balance, yet her gaze blazed in singular fury.

"Enough! What is wrong with you? How can you be so broken inside?!"

"Broken?" The words stabbed at him, drawing a scowl to whiskered cheeks. "If my sacrifice saves others, then I'm more than willing to take a few wounds-

Her human hand cracked across Naruto's face in a devastating slap, jerking his head to the side. Anger blazed, _anger_ he tried to stifle as he raised a tan palm to his throbbing cheek. The blow didn't hurt. Didn't even sting really, but the gesture behind it all but smacked of contempt. It surprised him, but also made him proud. Such a strange emotion. Pride in someone else. Unfortunately it was overshadowed by Kaguya's unyielding rage. It took all he had to restrain himself.

...why did you just slap me?"

"You idiot." the words were a hiss. "Are you trying to die?"

"I cannot die." he'd meant to state it as a fact, but her expression turned thunderous. "There's no need to concern yourself with my safety."

She tried to slap him again; this time he caught her wrist. "Stop that." he warned, the words pitching into a growl. "I'm not just going to stand there and take it."

"You save so many lives, then say that your own is worth nothing!" her Grimm hand stabbed into his chest, pushing him back half a pace. "All with that damn smile on your face!"

Had he upset her somehow? Gods, women baffled him. "What's wrong with smiling?"

_"Everything!"_

It was the worst thing he could've said; because Cinder reared back with a hiss. He let her go, releasing her wrist. She stumbled, nearly fell before she caught herself. His hand nearly reached out for hers, but she stood on her own two legs, ignoring the pain even now lancing through her leg. She was strong. Even here at her weakest, he suspected she'd sooner spit than accept his help. Why was she so riled up? In his mind, he hadn't done anything wrong. Cinder clearly believed he had.

"You exist!" she jabbed him again, drawing a scowl a blink when her finger thrust itself against his nose. "You have meaning! Worth! Look at you! Now you're cry for those you've slain?!"

Crying?

Naruto squinted and touched a hand to his face again, realizing his eyes were in fact damp. He wasn't crying. That was all Kaguya, the spiteful bitch. Damn her. Damn them. Something ugly reared inside his heart once more, slipping through his grasp before he could control it. Who was she to judge him? He'd taken her and her cohorts in without a second thought. Tended their wounds and nursed them back to health. And she dared to question his methods? To berate him in her fallacy? Did she think he'd wanted this? Kaguya?! Any of this?!

**"NO." **

Cinder felt the pressure a heartbeat before it hit; in that she managed to steady herself in time. It didn't help.

She knew she'd made a mistake, but she was too angry to care.

"You little fool," Naruto swore softly, shaking his head fro side to side, hair swaying in the wind. Something in his voice made her flinch. It sounded different. Colder. Older. "I won't shed any tears for the Grimm. Not them. Never them. They're not worth it. Its just...sometimes I...forget what I used to be." a small, bitter chuckle tumbled out of his lips. "Who _I_ used to be. Its funny, you know?" as she looked on, he palmed his face. "I try to bury myself in my work. Help people. Heal them. But sometimes I remember, and knowing once I was not...not **this."**

"Not what?" she challenged, anger still seething in her veins. "A fool?"

White eyes regarded her and she recoiled.

_**"This fucking thing!"**_ suddenly he was in her face, snarling at her, veins throbbing in his eyes. **"This monster. Look at me. I SAID LOOK AT ME!"** he grabbed her chin when she turned away from him, forcing her to do meet his gaze.** "I used to be a man, Cinder. I used to be ALIVE. Who are you to question me and my methods?! Where would you be without me?! Well?!" **she opened her mouth to snap at him and his fury ignited tenfold. **"Cold! Dead! Forgotten! I shaved away a piece of my SOUL to bring you back, not have you act like-**

He expected anger. Defiance at the least. Not the gasp.

...you did what?"

Damnitall. He hadn't meant to say that. Her reaction drained the anger right out of him as surely as a broken sieve; he stepped backward, ashamed of his outburst. She tried to follow him, but her leg finally buckled and in a moment of weakness Naruto found himself moving in to catch her. She fought him like a hellcat, writhing and thrashing in his grasp the moment his hands touched hers.

"Let go of me, blast you!"

"Sorry." he grumbled, tearing his gaze from hers. "It was a slip. Don't worry. It won't happen again...

"Bumbling oaf!" Cinder was spitting sparks when he finally released his hold on her. "I...you...aargh! What am I do to with you?!"

"Kiss me~?" he teased, falling back on their old routine. Deny, deny, deny. Don't speak of anything else. It was the one thing he knew she'd never do.

Her human hand snapped up to seize a fistful of his hair and he realized what Cinder was about to do. She was well and truly furious with him now, her blood still up from the attack. She wasn't thinking rationally. Neither was he. Perhaps, had Naruto been in his right mind, he would've anticipated her ambush and reacted accordingly.

He'd underestimated her.

With a low hiss that sounded entirely too much like a snake, Cinder pushed herself up on her good leg and rammed her mouth against his even as she dragged his face down to hers. It was quick. Rough. Forceful. She bit his lower lip with enough force to draw blood, her tongue ruthlessly plundering his mouth like a sunken galleon before jerking away thrice as fast. Before he could even think to speak she released him. Eyes of molten gold glowered defiantly up at him. Then her hands came up on his chest and cannoned out with impressive force.

"Oomph?!"

It was a very good push all things considered; it struck him dead in the ribs and knocked him right on his arse with a startled squawk. He allowed it, too stunned to do anything else. Emerald squeaked. Mercury made an irritated noise that sounded vaguely ill...until a shit-eating grin spread across his face. Naruto knew it all too well; if only because he'd worn the same smile in his youth during his pranks. No. Surely he wouldn't. Oh, who was he kidding. Of course he would. He had an inkling of what the young assassin was about to say and made no effort to stop him. Yup. That settled it. Favorite kid.

"Aw, Mommy and Daddy finally made up."

Emerald went red.

Cinder choked. _"What?!"_

Hazel...actually chuckled.

Naruto wasn't far behind him; though his laughter proved louder and more raucous by far. Women. He'd never understand them. Though she didn't answer, her silence lifted a weight from him. Her sullen squawking and sputtering were all the response he needed. It lifted his spirits in a way he hadn't thought possible. Oh gods, he'd needed this. Never had he needed something so badly and never known until he received it. Try as he might, he couldn't hold himself back, nor did he make any effort to rise.

It left him shaking and cackling in the dirt, all his anger forgotten.

"Fuck off and die, the lot of you!" Cinder spat at them. "See if I care! Hmmph!"

Without another word, she marched back to her hut. Bastards and brats, all of them! Damn them all!

* * *

_ (.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Salem was many things.

Calculating. Charismatic. Cold.

But she was also patient. _Terribly_ patient.

When the deck was stacked against her, when she found herself in an unfavorable situation she, she often chose to wait. Outlast her enemies. Time was her ally in all things. When you were immortal, eternal, everlasting, years ceased to have any meaning for one such as her. A day was but the blink of an eye. A year? Mild inconvenience. She'd once waited _decades_ before making her move.

She'd had countless minions over the years, but her Grimm? There were always more to be had.

She could see through every creature she created; it was both a blessing and a curse; albeit one she rarely used. fI she but willed it she could have eyes in any one of the four kingdoms, but only in one hemisphere at any given time. For instance, she couldn't see through an Ursa in Vacuo while gazing through the eyes of a Nevermore somewhere in Mistral. Her powers were many, her skills great, but her focus could not be in two places at once, no matter how much she might wish it otherwise.

And speaking of wishes...?

She'd just happened to glance a most familiar figure just now.

_Now whatever was her sweet little Cinder doing in a rundown village like that?_

**A/N: Papa Naruto is best Naruto.**

**And did you think Salem would stay silent forever? Not a chance.**

**Ohoho, careful Cinder, your feelings are starting to show. This chapter was a blast to write.**

**Naruto really doesn't consider his life to have any meaning; he'll happily help others and do his best to fix them, but he doesn't care for his own life. Naturally, our girl didn't take too kindly to that, if it ain't obvious. ****Raven and Jaune bits will appear next chapter, would've felt forced to include that much here.**

**Unfortunately, Salem doesn't realize just what Naruto is. Things are going to get explosive soon. Remember, there's a reason our boy doesn't fight unless someone pushes him to. The more he exerts himself the more influence that Kaguya gets, and the more she gets...well. We don't want to unleash a mad goddess on the world now, do we? Doesn't help that Kaguya's mind is all but cracked by t**

**Due to Ruby's newfound power, the gang's ended up lingering in Mistral for a bit longer, which doesn't bode well either.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

**Who knows? We might see Roman again.**

** Here. We. Go~!**

**(Preview)**

_"You're going into town with...Emerald?"  
_

_"Need some supplies," Naruto hummed. "You're welcome to join us."_

_Cinder saw Emerald squirm slightly, saw the pleased flush on the girl's face._

_Oh? He wanted to play that way, did he?! Very well! She'd show him. No one bested Cinder Fall!_

* * *

_"Stop!" Cinder retreated, rubbing at her throat. Too close. __"I didn't kill your boss, girl!"_

_She may as well have spoken to the wind. __Neo's stern visage descended on her with a soundless hiss._

_No. She fought back, but her leg betrayed her, hampered her. Not like this. She refused to die here. She refused!_

**R&R~!**


	5. Don't Fear Demise

**A/N: Nice loooooong chapter for you all~!**

**EDIT: Look at the review section. See the trolls? Aren't they nice? T_T**

**I'm just going to stop if I keep getting shredded like this for no good reason. I don't get paid to do this, and I'm not going to subject myself to emotional abuse on a daily basis for nothing.**** Please stop with the death threats and telling me I shouldn't have been born, trolls. Can't we all just get along? Please? PLEASE?!**

** WARNING! ****This chapter is an emotional roller coaster ride. ****Laughter, tears, joy and sorrow both. This one's got it all.**

**Now let's clarify. Naruto can't bring people back from the dead indefinitely. Things have gotten to the point where its dangerous for him to do so repeatedly. Is that going to stop him? Absolutely not. He isn't the sort to go by half measures. ****Finally, to clarify, Boruto and Himawari never existed in this story. I thought that much was obvious by now, given that Naruto had to seal Kaguya inside himself and flee to keep her from destroying everything.**

** Which is why THIS iteration of Naruto finds the idea of being a father so novel. He's never had the chance to try this before, and for an immortal, new experiences are a treasure. ****Somebody asked who Ruby's being paired with here. ****Weiss, of course. Goes without saying. ****Naruto's too busy busy cavorting with the villains at the moment**

**As ever, reviews are my lifeblood. Without them, I wither and die.**

**We pick up right where we left of here...with a surprise.**

**As ever, I own no quotes, memes, or themes.**

_"You can't fix me. I'm a monster. We all are. All of us."_

_"I don't want to fix any of you. I want you to be happy. What? Why are you looking at me like that?"_

_~Cinder and Sage._

**Don't Fear Demise**

_"You can bring back the dead?!"_

His savior tilted their head. "Must you be so loud?"

Jaune Arc wasn't sure if he was having a good night or not. On one hand, he might call this the worst singular evening of his life. He'd died. A lucky Grimm had gotten through his guard and torn open his stomach. Even now he could still sear the tears in his hoodie, the black fabric rent apart by Beowolf claws to expose the healthy skin beneath. Only moments ago, he'd been holding his entrails. Dying was a bad thing. Jaune knew that. He'd nearly died countless times in the last month alone. Sooner or later it was bound to stick.

But the news he'd just been given -and his second life!- threatened to dash all of the misery he'd endured against the sandy sores of paradise.

It was meant to be a simple patrol beyond the walls of Haven with Ren and Nora; an excuse to stretch his legs and get away from the stuffiness of the Academy for a bit. His hair was still singed from Ruby's last explosion, poor thing. Ozpin hadn't been against the excursion; why would he? He valued the safety of Team RWBY far over that of Team JNR. Not that Jaune faulted him for his opinion. Ruby was important people ow. She was the Fall Maiden. She had to master her powers before they set out again...or so Ozpin said. He was sure there was a story to be had there, but Ozpin wasn't telling it.

Unfortunately for them, their patrol encountered Grimm. Lots of Grimm.

They'd tried to retreat back the way they came, to no avail; he'd blundered into this mess, gotten separated from his team, and been forced to fight for his life. If not for this strange man standing over him, he would have surely perished. Which was rather ironic, given that Jaune had tried to save _him _in the first place. What kind of man came howling out of the night after a pack of Beowolf armed with nothing more than an ax? A complete and utter madman, that's who!

Without thinking, Jaune had thrown himself between the man and the Grimm. His heroism cost him his life. Until it didn't. And as a reward for his kindness, the whiskered warrior had shown him a secret.

"That is indeed what I said, mister Arc." Naruto's _shadow_ _clone_ nudged the last dissolving Grimm with his foot, sending its fading ashes fluttering into the air. "You're lucky. This isn't something I do lightly. I'm just a copy; no one would mourn my passing. You shouldn't have thrown your life away like that."

Copy? He didn't understand what this man was getting at. A life was a life, after all.

_"But you saved me."_

"Yes, I did. And if everyone knew I could bring back their loved ones, I'd be swarmed." those mismatching eyes narrowed upon him, burning in the moonlight. "I'll have to ask you to refrain from speaking of this."

Odd. With the way he spoke, this guy almost reminded him of Ozpin but...older. Stranger. There was something ancient and unknowable in those gleaming blue eyes; as if standing in his presence would somehow impart the secrets to the universe or somesuch. Jaune didn't care about that. He'd latched onto the those last few words with all the tenacity of an Ursa. Naruto's arm? Moreso. He'd thought they'd met by chance, that this was some random encounter in the dark but this...this must be fate! What else could it be?! A man who could bring back the dead!

"Oh, um, sure. But...!" The words sprang to his lips. "Could you do it again?"

"I could do, certainly. But why?" he tilted his head as another Beowolf howled in the distance. "I don't know you. My means aren't perfect, nor is my eye." a long finger rose to elucidate him when he protested. "You died in front of me; you weren't even dead for a minute before I dragged you out of the abyss. If you want me to bring back some that's been long dead, I'd need...a sacrifice."

"A sacrifice?" Jaune wilted when those eerie orbs found his. "I...is this a test or something?" It had to be. He refused to falter here. "No. Use me. It should be me."

"No. I think not." the sage sniffed, causing the blond to stumble. "Though if there _were_ a test, you just passed it. Do you have anything of theirs? A piece of cloth, perhaps? Anything with their DNA?"

"I...I don't know?" his hand brushed the red cloth on his waist and he scuffed a boot against the ground. "I think I could find something."

"Would you be willing to sacrifice someone?"

Jaune choked. "Do I have to-ow?!"

Tan hands seized his cheeks and pinched, drawing a whine from the young man.

"Yes!" the sage snapped at him, stretching his face back and forth like an angry rubber band. "Find a criminal or something. Scum of the earth. Someone who won't be missed. They need to be alive if you want this to work. Ah, but I digress." he released him and laid a tan hand on his shoulder. "Your friends are just up ahead to the north, looking for you. Don't give me that look." his cheeks twitched in mild anger, "They're quite alright. See your way to them, son."

"How will I find you?" a thorn of hesitation held him back from fleeing outright.

_"You_ won't." the sage flicked his forehead. "I'll find _you."_

Jaune hesitated again. "How?"

It was almost too good to be true; this felt like fate. _Destiny._ And yet he found himself afraid. With hope, came fear. So much fear. What if the old man was lying to him? Alright, he wasn't _old _but he acted like it! Who was to say he'd ever see him again? He might vanish into the either after this for all he knew. Maybe this was all some fever dream and he really was dying-

"Ugh." The sage flicked him in the forehead again, drawing a whine from his fellow blond. "Stop that. I can sense your negativity from here."

A tan palm swept out towards him.

"Give me your hand."

Jaune complied.

"Ow!"

Pain snarled through his arm and he jerked it away thrice as fast, hissing in pain. Against his better judgement, he stole a glance at his scorched palm. It didn't so much sting as it did burn, nor did he comprehend the odd _symbol_ that had been left behind there. He was pretty sure it was a word of some sort, but he couldn't figure out just what it was.

"You have my mark." Naruto explained as the young man baked at it. "When you're ready, find someplace secluded, push a bit of Aura into that palm and keep it there for nine seconds. I'll know if you're not alone. Now, one last question, then you can be on your way. Who are you trying to save?"

...my friend. I-I mean!" Jaune flailed his arms on the words when those hawk-like eyes found his. "Her name is Pyrrha Nikkos. She...died. Awhile ago. A woman named Cinder killed her."

Naruto went very still. "Cinder, you say? Continue."

Why did he have a bad feeling about this? "Look, I really don't think I should-

"Is that so?" Naruto growled. "Maybe I shouldn't have saved your life, then. Keep. Talking."

Jaune didn't _mean_ to spill the beans, but his mouth betrayed him and the words spilled out like a flood, flowing from his lips before he could think to stop them. He told the man everything he knew about Pyrrha. Her likes, dislikes, her feats and fears, her ignoble death atop that terrible tower. He wasn't sure how much time passed. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? When he finally finished his eyes were burning all over again. Had he been crying? Hastily, he scrubbed at his face with the back of his hand. Gods, what an embarrassment...

"Will you do it?"

...against my better judgement, yes." the sage grumbled, palming his whiskered face. "I'm just a sucker for sob stories it seems...

"Thank you!" Jaune latched onto him like a limpet. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret this!"

"Aaargh!" the sage writhed in his grasp. "I don't do hugs, boy! Off!"

"Wait!"

"What now, boy?!"

Jaune flinched. "I just wanted to know your name."

...Naruto." the sage blew out a breath. "There, happy? Now get!"

"Thanks, old man!" he shook his hand firmly and bolted before he could take the words back. "I won't forget this!"

"I'm not that old, am I?" Naruto watched him go with a sigh. "Bah, young love. I'll never understand the like. This better not come back to bite me in the ass."

With a long suffering sigh, the clone waited until it was certain Jaune was long gone; only then did it dispel itself in a rush of pale smoke.

* * *

(.0.0.0.)

* * *

_Emerald Sustrai wasn't a good person._

She knew this. Ohhhh, by the Brother Gods, she knew this.

She'd done terrible, horrible things in her lifetime; she'd killed, lied, cheated and stole from rich and poor alike. She had murdered innocents and brought the powerful low; she'd played a key part in burning Beacon to the ground. Her sins were many, her redeeming qualities few, and her misdeeds more numerous than the stars in the sky. All for her savior. The one woman whom she loved more than anything in this world. The one person who took her off the streets and made something of her. Some might even call that woman a monster.

Emerald knew better. Cinder Fall wasn't a monster. She was...complicated.

Cinder had taken her off the streets. Cinder had saved her from an awful life. Cinder had given her power.

To be fair, Emerald _feared_ Cinder as much as she loved her. Cinder was powerful. Cinder had taken more lives than she could count. Cinder had schemes within schemes, _within schemes that _laid even the mighty Ozpin low. Then came the defeats. Cinder, the woman whom she'd thought eternal, invincible, undying.._.lost._ Twice. First to Ruby Rose. Then months later to Raven Branwen. She'd survived the first defeat. Not so the second. Emerald remembered full well the pain and shock and _horror_ she'd felt in that first moment when she'd learned her mentor had perished.

Only then did she learn that there were bigger monsters in this world than Cinder. Raven was one such monster. Compared to Naruto? She was a guppy. The man was a shark.

_Anyone capable of raising the dead was not someone to be trifled with._

And yet the next morning, Emerald found herself approaching Naruto's tent once again.

All around her she head the distant sounds of people making repairs; they were a hardy folk, she'd give them that. It was only to be expected of course; they couldn't leave things as they were. Not after that attack. It only made sense that they'd build their walls taller and stronger. Another incursion like that would break this place. If not for Naruto and his clones, it would have. Good lord, she couldn't count them all. They'd already repaired half the damage overnight. She suspected the wall would be yet higher by the time the day was done.

And so, as she crept closer, she listened.

"You can revive the dead."

"Not you too!" Naruto's voice rose in dismay. "I swear, no good deed goes unpunished!"

Emerald hesitated just outside the tent flap. That wasn't Cinder arguing with him. Was she not in? Mercury might've dragged her off somewhere, but...

_"Raaargh!"_

A distant scream followed by an explosion drew a wince from the dark-skinned girl. Well. That answered her question. She was using the assassin to get back into fighting shape.

Emboldened by their absence she peeked in and saw Hazel's towering form within, looming large over their host as he sat at a table. Naruto didn't even deign to look at him. He was too focused on his desk, hunched over a book of some sort. She strained her senses and caught the faint scratched of a quill against the paper. He was writing something in. But what? He spoke again and she focused on the sound of his voice.

"I can." Naruto didn't look up from his desk. "What of it?"

...is there any limit to that ability?" the giant asked in return.

The faint rustling of paper followed. "There is not. But there _is_ a cost."

_"I will pay it."_

Emerald hunkered down, unwilling to enter lest she be seen. Hazel might not be immune to her Semblance, but Naruto certainly was. He'd see her if she tried to enter now. It was relatively common knowledge that Hazel had lost his sister before she could become a huntress; it was one of the reasons he loathed Ozpin so and why he had joined Salem. Emerald didn't much understand the logic behind that; if his sister had died to Grimm, why join the one who commanded them? Hatred made for a sour bedfellow.

"Will you, now?" a blue eye peeked over his shoulder and Emerald flinched back when it saw her. He smiled and paid her her no mind. "Can you condemn an innocent to die for someone else?"

Hazel stepped back.

"Not an innocent. A criminal." a pause followed. "How did you know I would ask?"

"I know many things, Hazel Rainart." a keen eye gleamed at him. "More than any man, woman or child."

"Don't act like that parasite." the giant's voice rose in a growl that made the very floor shake beneath their feet. "You're not him."

"Am I not?" Naruto steepled his fingers and laid his head atop them. "I don't send anyone to their deaths, that much holds true. Quite the opposite. I bring people back, so long as they're willing." he gestured grandly at something she couldn't see. "Over and over again, until their soul chips away. Until nothing remains. And each time I lose a tiny piece of myself to the monster lurking inside my own." a small shudder shook his shoulders before he mastered himself. "How many more times can to this before she consumes me? A dozen? Less? This is not something I do lightly. Cinder was an exception. Let the dead rest, Hazel."

Broad shoulders stiffened in defiance. "I cannot. She means too much to me."

"Yes, I can see that." Naruto granted him the ghost of a smile.

"Will you refuse me, then?"

Naruto didn't muttered something in a foreign language Emerald didn't understand. She recognized the tone all too well however; heard the bite of anger behind it. He wasn't happy. His irritation had a weight to it, though it wasn't focused upon her, Emerald flinched away from it all the same. She almost missed what followed within. Almost.

Hazel knelt.

...if you do this, I would pledge my loyalty to you."

"Stop that!" Naruto jolted upright. "On your feet! None of that nonsense!"

Hazel made no effort to rise and Emerald sucked in a sharp, soft breath of betrayal.

Something clicked in the back of her head as the final piece of the puzzle slotted into place. A coup. this was a coup. She couldn't think of any other word for it. Hazel's loyalties were in question. Mercury's loyalties were in question. They weren't just being swayed, they were actively being turned. Naruto had already given the assassin back his Semblance, and now he was actively working to subvert Hazel. Oh, he put up a front for the sake of it, but she could see that he'd all but agreed to meet the man's request.

"You're not going to budge on this," Naruto blew out an angry sigh. "Are you?"

Hazel didn't move.

"I'll need something with her DNA on it." the whiskered warrior deflated, shoulders slumping in defeat. "A hair-brush, clothing, anything will do-OOMPH?!"

Hazel burst into motion with frightful speed; the Sage was still shaking his head when giant arms wrapped around him and hoisted him from the floor. It was brief brotherly embrace, one that lasted all of a moment before the stoic giant released him. It left Emerald's mouth hanging open. Huh. Hazel was a hugger. Who knew?

"I've kept a few of her things at home." was that a note of joy in his voice just now?! It was! "I will retrieve them."

"As you said, she's been dead for some time," Naruto croaked out a breath as he popped his spine back into place, "Its not merely a matter of bringing her back. I'll need a sacrifice to tie her soul to this world. A living one at that. From there I can use my eye to reincarnate her body entirely."

"You did not need one for Cinder."

"No, I didn't." a rare note of anger flitted through the blond's voice. "When I found her, she was freshly dead. You lot weren't much better off when you crawled into my camp, if I recall."

Hazel made a noise that sounded like an apology.

"That's better." Naruto hummed. "And before you think it, don't touch my people. Snatch the scurviest piece of shit you can find. Raid a jail or a bar or something. So long as its not an innocent." Emerald saw him make a shooing gesture with his off hand, effectively ending their conversation. "I'm not your minder, but I will warn you. Your sister may not like the man you've become." a lone finger poked the man's broad chest. "If you want her back so badly, you should be prepared to accept the consequences."

"I will live with them. How long will it take?"

"Moments." came the immediate retort. "How long will _you _be gone? Is your home far from here?"

"Days." Hazel all but groaned the word back at him, his frustration palpable. "Will you be here when I return?"

Naruto batted his concern away with a bitter laugh. "I keep my promises. I'll be here. I need to head into town, but that's it."

"Then we have an accord."

Emerald dared to peek back into the tent again, just in time to see Hazel extended a beefy arm. Naruto's palm was swallowed in it. They shook.

That settled it. Hazel was compromised. Without a doubt. Emerald knew she should report this. She _needed_ to report this. She didn't. Greed stayed her hand.

If she thought of Cinder as a Mother, then Naruto undoubtedly filled the role of a Father for her. He fed her. Helped her. Praised her. Taught her new things. When she made a mistake he corrected it gently; not through force or harsh words, but simple kind instruction. She wanted to be loyal to Cinder, yet in the same vein, she wanted to cling onto Naruto's teachings. He'd taught her so much about her Semblance, and his presence did wonders for Cinder's mood. Emerald didn't want to choose between them. She wanted both of them.

Emerald was a thief, after all. She liked to be greedy.

By the time Hazel emerged from the tent, she'd stepped well back. He passed her with a grunt.

"Where are you going?" she asked him, already knowing the answer.

...on a journey." he lied. "I'll return in a few days."

"Cinder won't like that."

"Hrrm." Hazel actually smiled _-smiled!-_ at her in response. "Something tells me she'll be too distracted to care."

Emerald let him go and didn't challenge him further than that. She didn't dare. Hazel could crush her with one arm tied behind his back; if he weren't such a peaceful person -so long as Ozpin wasn't involved- she would've been terrified of him. Part of her still was. Mercury had made his choice. Hazel had clearly made his. That just left her and Cinder...and one painful question.

_What did she want?_

"You can come in now, Emerald." Naruto's voice called to her from within the tent. "I know you're out there."

She scuffed a foot against the ground. "No, I'm not."

...you just answered me. Get in here."

She slipped into the hut.

Naruto turned to meet her, book still in hand. Emerald jolted when she saw his face; saw that his long hair had been cut back into a familiar spiky mane. That long drooping beard had been hacked away as well, leaving a faint stubble to frame his chin alongside the whiskers tripling his cheeks. It made him look decades younger. Were it not for the crow's feet creeping at the corner of his mismatched eyes -or the weight of eternity lurking within said orbs- she might have mistake him for someone else.

"How much of that did you hear?" he asked.

She should lie. Naruto was worse than Hazel. Naruto didn't _need _to touch her to kill her. If he considered her a threat, if he took it into his head to end her...no one would be able to stop him. Mercury might even fight her if it came to that. She didn't even want to think about Hazel or Cinder. Cinder, who had become almost kind to her in the last few days. Yes. That's right. She was doing this for Cinder as much as herself. In the end, fear loosened Emerald's lips.

...all of it."

"Naughty girl." he clicked his tongue in mild reproach, nothing more. "Whatever am I going to do with you?"

Emerald dithered, hands balling into fists at her sides. He didn't look at her. Didn't need to. The weight of his regard was suffocating all the same. Like a towering wave looming over her head, ready to come crashing down at the slightest provocation. Perhaps that was just her imagination. She couldn't take it. All or nothing, then. If it had come this...!

...whatever you're doing to Cinder? Keep doing it."

Naruto didn't look up from his book. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

Emerald turned scarlet. "You know! She smiles now! Hugs me! Treats me like...

"Like a daughter?" he turned the page without so much as batting an eyelash. "Good. She should."

Much to his amusement, the teenager slapped a palm to her forehead. "By the gods, you can be such a DAD-

A peal of bemused laughter startled her and caused her hands to clamp down over her mouth. Too late. She couldn't take the words back. Bemused eyes rose as the wily doctor took his hand from the pages of his journal to favor her with a dry look. Emerald opened her mouth to refute him...and it clicked shut thrice as fast. Huh. He'd fed her, clothed her, tended to her wounds, and listened to her words. Just now he could have killed her thrice over for eavesdropping and he hadn't. Didn't parents do that? She'd already thought of him as such once or twice, but to actually say it aloud...

"Hug?" Naruto chuckled, not moving his arms an inch.

"Ugh, no!" Emerald shuddered. "You're _old!"_

"You're being a very bad daughter...

"NARUTO!"

In a fit of pique, the thief snatched up a book and lobbed it at his face. Naruto toppled backwards out of his chair and crashed to the floor with a peal of raucous laughter. Emerald snatched up another heavy tome, poised to pelt him with it if he embarrassed her any further. He should have been able to dodge that. He hadn't. He'd deliberately swayed just so she could hit him.

"Ha!" A delighted peal of joy greeted her as he lay sprawled on the floor. "Is this what its like to have children? I think I like it. Should I start giving you an allowance?"

Emerald discarded the book and pelted him with a pillow instead. He only laughed harder. It took her a moment to realize that she'd joined him. The realization brought with it a pang of dread. For all her talk of loyalty and following Cinder, she was compromised too, perhaps even more than the boys. By the Brothers, she was doomed. When had she come undone? Only a few weeks ago, she knew where her loyalties lay. Now? She couldn't choose between him and Cinder. She couldn't. She wanted them both. But she _couldn't_ have them both. Sooner or later, she would have to choose. And oh gods, _Salem...!_

He must've seen her dread too; because the laughter stopped. Those mismatching eyes of rimmed violet and hooded cerulean narrowed upon her.

"You're hyperventilating."

Was she? A small, hysteric giggle burst out of her. "Shut up, dad. This is all your fault."

He rolled over, smile falling to the wayside. "It is, isn't it? For what its worth, I'm sorry about that."

Emerald rounded on him with a hiss. "You don't sound sorry. You can't die. You're not the one at risk here."

"There's nothing wrong with being happy, you know." Naruto offered. "I'd say you deserve that. You lot look like you've had hard lives."

"I'm not happy!" she keened. "I'm terrified!"

Her minder rose slowly, arms raised to show he didn't mean her any harm. At first, Emerald feared he might try to attack her. No. Not that. Anything but that. She'd break if he did something like that now. Shatter like so much glass. Her body went tense, ready to bolt the moment he tried to move. She thought herself prepared for any such trickery he might try. She was not.

Naruto stepped into her and wrapped both arms around her back.

"I don't normally _do_ hugs." he apologized over her shoulder. "Then again, I'm not used to being a parent, either. Sorry if this is awkward."

When he pulled her into his arms, something in Emerald fractured and she sniffled._ Hiccuped._ Traitorous tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. She shouldn't be overwhelmed by such a simple action. Yet she was. Sad as it might sound, no one had ever hugged her before. Not like this. Even her brief and recent embraces with Cinder couldn't hold a candle to this. His arms were gentle around her, like a warm yet rough blanket enfolding all her being. She wrinkled her nose as the faint stubble of his beard tickled her cheek.

"Stupid papa." Emerald grit her teeth and stomped down on his foot. It felt like kicking a rock and her words lacked any spite. "I hate you."

"Huh." she felt him tilt his head. "This must be what teenage rebellion feels like. Wonder if I was this bad at your age."

"I can't choose." the words tumbled out of her all at once. "If its between you and Cinder...I _can't."_

Naruto frowned. "Then don't."

That tore it; the fractured dam of her heat broke. Emerald buried her head into his chest started bawling like a newborn, great heaving gasps rattling her frame. Her arms, once still as stone, flew up to latch onto his coat and hold tight to him. Naruto stiffened, then relaxed. One arm rose to ruffle her hair. Without thinking, Emerald leaned her head into it.

"There, there." the ancient shinobi soothed. "You're gonna be alright little gem...

Naruto rocked her back and forth gently.

...you're gonna be alright."

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_"Hrrngh..._

"That will be all, Mercury."

A muffled groan greeted Cinder as the smoldering assassin toppled to the ground. She felt a traitorous flicker of pity and stubbornly squashed it. Bah. He'd live. Mostly. She hadn't burned too badly and she had the bruises to show for it. No one could take hits quite like Mercury and he'd served his purpose well.

"Gods, you are such a bitch...

"Queen bitch, thank you very much." Cinder preened. She was too pleased with herself to hurt him anymore than she already had. "Lay there and rest for awhile, would you kindly?"

The absolute scoundrel scowled at her. "I'm telling dad."

_Warm lips on hers, a soft sound of surprise..._

Cinder turned incandescent at the memory and lobbed a shard of super-heated glass at the little shit. Mercury made himself scarce, leaving her to consider the latest scorch mark she'd left behind. This far from civilization, there hadn't been any real risk of setting fire to the forest; she'd been careful to control herself and extinguish any blazes before they got out of hand.

"Brat." she turned her head and spat on the ground, frowning only slightly as dark tresses tickled her nose from the motion.

Her hair was growing out at an alarming rate; no surprise there. Nearly a month had passed since her defeat at Raven's hands. Perhaps she might keep it at this length. With her eye restored, her clothes mended, and her scars healed, she had nothing left to hide...

Her Grimm arm twitched sullenly, causing her to clutch at it.

...well, not much, Cinder admonished herself. Why hide her power? Only fools feared it.

Did that make her a fool too? For hiding away so long? With a sullen huff, she turned and stormed back to the village.

Sparring had proven...illuminating for Cinder. Her strength hadn't yet returned to its prime, but her Semblance still served her as it ever had. Better, even. Fire remained her ally and heat her friend. She took some pride in that at least. She could no longer use it to fly about, and it wasn't as mighty as it might have been without her Maiden Powers there to bolster it, but the fact remained. It was good to know she wasn't some helpless vixen without it. Perhaps her Semblance had simply absorbed some of the Fall Maiden's essence. Yest, she rather liked that theory.

She was nearly recovered now; were it not for her bad leg, she would...

Would what? A tiny, traitorous thought nearly made her miss a step. She'd leave. Put this place behind her and never look back.

_Wouldn't she?_

And what was wrong with that, she thought, hastening her stride. Nothing. Nothing at all! She'd always known this to be a temporary arrangement at best. She had a purpose. A destiny. One that did not involve whittling away her life in some backwater town off the map. There was nothing for her here.

Nothing but a tiny little kitten, a sad smile, and a man whom she'd come to realize was even more broken than her.

"Shut up!" she hissed at her weakness, hands balling into fists. "I don't need them! Or him!"

Part of her wanted to recruit Naruto to her side, though she knew it was impossible. He claimed to be stronger than Salem; something told her that wasn't an idle boast.

You see, at the end of the day Cinder was a very selfish woman. She liked her creature comforts. Insufferable though Naruto might be at times, there was no denying that he had his uses. He had strength. Power. Grimm couldn't touch him. She suspected it would take a concentrated effort to bring him down...if such a thing were even possible. She'd even toyed with the idea of letting him restore her arm...save for the implications that might bring about. Salem wouldn't taken kindly to such a thing and might view it as a betrayal. No, perhaps it was best to let her Grimm limb be. It wasn't as if there were any risk to it. Salem would've warned her if there was, surely-

A quiet purr claimed her attention and she nearly tripped over her own two feet before she ground herself to a halt. "You again?!"

Cinder didn't want to look down; if only because she knew what she would find there, rubbing against her legs. She did so anyway, full lips quirking into a dark scowl as she confirmed her suspicion. It was that damn kitten from last night. Blasted cat must've followed her again. She'd fed it once. ONCE! Now the damn thing seemed to think it owned her! No one owned Cinder Fall!

The little beast mewing pitifully and pawing at her leg aid otherwise.

...I hate you."

Cinder looked left. Cinder looked right. Cinder sighed. Good. No one to see her, then. Only a few men and women could be seen on the outskirts of the village, and even those seemed more occupied with making repairs to their homes and tending their crops than one wandering woman. Excellent. Cinder Fall was many things, but she would never kick a kitten.

So she scooped Ser Pounce into her arms and bolted in the direction of her hut, cursing her bad leg with every step.

Oh, she could run just fine but the blasted thing _hurt._ Perhaps it was time she had a word with Naruto on that. She still felt weak. Fatigued. As if something were actively sapping her strength. But what? Try as she might, Cinder couldn't understand it. She was in her prime, a bit out of practice perhaps, but still, Naruto hadn't done anything to her beyond restore her eye-

"Aha! There you are!" a familiar voice cried. "We were looking for you. You should probably slow down."

She didn't expect to run headlong into the man himself.

Say what you would about him, but Naruto was solid; slamming into his chest was akin to running into a brick wall at mach speed. It hurt. Cinder bounced right off and skidded back half a pace before she caught herself on a torn wall. Even then her bad leg was less than reliable, forcing her to lay her weight on the other to compensate.

"You alright there?" A blond brow quirked at her and she noticed he wasn't quite as scruffy as she remembered.

Without that drooping beard and the long flowing hair she barely recognized him. He'd even shed that ratty robe in favor of dark leathers and a cloak that flowed from his shoulders. He looked...young. More alive than he had ever been; more a man in her age range than some decrepit old geezer squatting in the woods. Would you look at that. He cleaned up rather well when he wanted to. Not bad. Not bad at all. As he was now, she might not mind-gack! No! Bad Cinder! Traitorous thoughts! Treacherous thoughts! Pleasant thoughts...

"I see you've found Ser Pounce once again."

_Aaaand_ there went any and all such thoughts of him.

Cinder sputtered and released the kitten with a yelp. "N-No! The blasted thing found me! I had no part in this!"

"Indeed." Naruto's indulgent smile told her he'd led her right into a trap and summarily sprung it. "Cats often do, don't they?"

"Take care of it while we're away, would you?" he petted it in passing before it trotted off around a corner. "Em and I have some errands to run."

Only then did Cinder notice her minion lurking behind him. No, she corrected herself. Not lurking. Almost...shadowing. As if she were guarding him. It sent alarms shrieking in her head.

"You're going into town with..._her?"_

Emerald seemed to shrink before her very eyes.

"Need some supplies," Naruto hummed. "You're welcome to join us. I think Emerald would like that. Wouldn't you, Em?"

...could you, Cinder?"

She saw Emerald squirm slightly behind him, saw the pleased flush on the girl's face. Her scarlet eyes were redder than usual; red and puffy, as if she'd been crying. Emerald? Cry? Bah. It must've been her imagination just now. She'd taught the girl better than that. Hadn't she? She was sure she had. No, she was more focused on the less-than-subtle challenge her doctor had just issued. If she refused it now, she would look weak. Was he suggesting she wasn't fit to travel? That her injury should keep her her? In confinement?! ALONE?! Did he think she'd stay here?! Cower in safety?!

Rage ignited, sparked by pride.

"Yes," her mouth twitched into a dangerous smile. "That sounds...grand."

Naruto wanted to play that way, did he?! Very well! She'd show him. No one bested Cinder Fall!

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Mistral was...enlightening, to say the least.

It wasn't crowded, but it wasn't pleasant, either. Cinder loathed the press of bodies against her, loathed the hood she wore, loathed the bandages hiding her Grimm arm, loathed slinking through the alleys like some stray cat even more. Necessary evil, he'd said. Just a precaution, he'd saind. Bloody blond bastard had been _right_ and he'd been insufferable ever since.

In hindsight, she knew her crimes in Haven hadn't gone unnoticed by the authorities. How could they? They'd allied with the White Fang, tried to blow up the bloody academy, _and_ steal a Relic for Gods sake. Something like that couldn't be swept under the rug in a month. Not even by Leonardo...assuming he was still alive.

Something told her he wasn't. Headmaster or no, Salem wasn't the sort to tolerate failure on that level. And from what she'd been told, Lionheart _had_ bungled things. Badly. Very badly indeed. He'd all but fled the fight against Qrow and Ozpin. That fool would be lucky to escape with his life; his reputation would be in tatters after this.

_What does that say about you, then?_ A small, nasty voice prodded her as she slunk along after Naruto. _You're no better than that coward._

Somehow, the wanted posters surprised Cinder. She was getting soft.

She could still see them now; all of their faces staring back at her from a giant screen as a reporter continued to drone on about their horrific crimes. Herself. Emerald. Hazel. Mercury. There was a sizable bounty on each of their heads. Such a shame she couldn't turn herself in. Remarkably, Raven's face was there, too. Good. She'd gladly gut the bitch if she had the chance. She'd cost her everything. Ruby Rose was on her list to be sure, but the Branwen woman was right behind her.

Naruto had come to the same conclusion. Thankfully it wasn't a violent one.

"You're both wanted." Cinder felt her face flush as he palmed his own. "Of course you are. Why am I not surprised."

"You're not going to turn us in, are you?" the question came from Emerald before the former Maiden could muster a scathing retort.

"As if I would turn my darling daughter over to the authorities." Naruto clutched a this chest and feigned dismay. "Why, who do you take me for?"

_Daughter?! _

Emerald made a pleased noise and swatted at his head. "Best dad ever."

"Bwuh?" Cinder asked eloquently. Had she missed something?! They weren't like this before!

"Oh, this? Its quite simple." Naruto declared with a finality only someone like him could possibly muster. "Poor little Em here, she just couldn't bear the thought of choosing between you and me." With one hand the blond subtle tugged up his own hood, then reached around to do the same with Emerald's green one. "So I decided to adopt her, too. Of course, she said I have to marry you." he slung an arm over her shoulder. "Guess that makes us one big happy family now. Anybody you wanna invite for the wedding?"

"We are not, nor will we ever be, a family." Cinder bit down on her rage -and something else!- when it bubbled up to the surface and shook herself free. "And I'm not marrying you! Release me!"

_"Aw, but think of the children!" _Naruto cried!

"Yeah, mom. Think of me."

Emerald did a remarkable job of schooling her face into absolute stoicism when Cinder glowered at her. Anything else and she would've had words for her. Strong words. And fire. Lots of fire. Blast him. What had he done to her? Nevermind. She knew. He'd gone and emboldened her. That was the only explanation for...this! Thank the gods Mercury wasn't here. He'd be a right scoundrel about this.

"Speaking a' which," Naruto drawled suddenly, capturing her attention once more. "Better do something about your faces for the time being. Hold still."

He pushed a hand toward Emerald and the girl jolted as a faint plume of smoke subsumed her body whole. She emerged just as quickly, arms flailing. When it cleared, she was much changed; her hair now a vibrant shade of blond and her skin pallor easily matched that of Naruto's. He'd even given her a faint on either cheek to match.

"Huh." the whiskered warrior whistled. "Not a bad look for you, Em. Whatcha think?"

Emerald saw the changes and jolted. "What did you do?!"

"Relax, its only an illusion." the sage patted her head. "Try not to get hit. It won't hold up in a fight."

Cinder recoiled when he tried to do the same to her. "No." she slapped his hand away with a hiss. "Don't you dare!"

"You sure?" the blond tilted his head as Emerald gazed over herself. "You'd look good as an Uzumaki. And you _need_ to hide your face."

"I need no such ruses." she drew herself up as he regarded her. "Look at the poster. The woman in them has one eye and short hair. No one will recognize me."

It was a flimsy truth and they both knew it.

"Alright," the blond raised his hands in defeat. "Have it your way, your majesty."

She brushed past him with a coy smile. "I will."

He didn't look much bothered by it, but Emerald flashed her a look that was almost...challenging. Oh? How bold of her. She'd have to step up her game. Not with force, but affection.

Cinder scowled as she slipped through an alley after her ally, Emerald only half a step behind. And if the girl was pleased? She pretended not to notice. She wasn't hiding she told herself; just biding her time and waiting for the opportunity to strike. She hadn't failed, either. No. Not yet. She would gather information while they were here, track down Ruby Rose, and take her revenge. She _would _become a Maiden again, she would wreak hell and havoc on all those who had laid her low and then she would...would...

_You don't know, do you?_ the voice of her inner self came back again, needling her relentlessly. _Fool. You've gotten soft. Where has your fire gone?_

"What are we looking for?" Remarkably, Emerald's words saved her from her own self doubt.

"I," Naruto clarified with a flick of his fingers, "Am here for medical supplies. Bandages. Gauze. That sort of thing. I only come into the city once a month, and even then I usually send a clone."

"Why not this time?" Emerald quizzed.

"Because I have my family with me?" he shrugged carelessly.

Cinder saw the opportunity for what it was and seized it, choking down her anger. She knew he'd said those words to rile her. She wouldn't let him. This was her chance. Not to escape -she'd never make it- but to enact her revenge. She had no idea where Team RWBY had gone. They could be halfway to Atlas by now for all she knew. Or even Vacuo. Nobody cared about Vacuo. It would've been the perfect place to hide. Didn't matter. She'd hunt that girl wherever she'd gone. But she knew Naruto wouldn't let her out of sight for a moment, and Emerald wouldn't either.

"I need a favor."

Mismatching orbs of blue and violet narrowed upon her._ "Cinder..._

"Send one of your clones if you don't trust me, then." she sniffed, turning her nose up at him. "Surely you can do that much for family."

"Are we family?" the blond tilted his head. "I believe you just said you didn't want anything to do with me."

Cinder winced, realizing she'd been outmaneuvered. "I didn't say that-

"Emerald?" A blond brow rose. "Exact words, please."

The disguised girl studied her nails with intense scrutiny. "We are not, nor will we ever be, a family. I believe she said that."

_Traitor!_

Damn him. Damn her. Damn them both. She couldn't tell if they were playing her or if they were actually upset with her earlier insinuation. Naruto was unreadable as ever, but Emerald...even in her disguise, there could be no mistaking traitorous twitch of her lower lip. Oh blast, she _had_ hurt the poor girl's feelings. Why did she care? She shouldn't. A month ago she would've told the girl off for being such an uppity little thing. She would have to say it, then. She didn't want to say it. Damn. It.

...ily."

"What's that?" Naruto placed a hand against his ear. "Didn't quite catch that."

"I said we're family!" Cinder Fall threw her head back with a shriek, cowling fluttering away from her face as she howled the words to the heavens and sent passerby running for their lives. "Happy now?! Because I swear, _if you make me say that again! I'll gut you_!"

Emerald couldn't hold the ruse anymore and toppled backward with a mad giggle.

"You're getting a spanking later, young lady!"

The thief only laughed harder.

"Now, now," Naruto soothed, "What did you need?"

"Information." Cinder glowered over his shoulder as Emerald writhed on the ground, legs kicking at the air. "I want to know-

"You're looking for the one who took you powers." the blond cut in as her visible eye widened. "Fair enough. I know a gal who can get you that information...for a price. I'll ask for your silver-eyed Maiden."

"Just like that?" Cinder balked. "How did you know about Ruby?"

_"Just like that."_

Naruto favored her with a small, sad smile, all traces of his earlier mirth vanishing as she looked on in quiet confusion. Unbidden, she realized the street had grown dark and quiet around them; passerby giving what they no doubt viewed as crazed individuals a wide, wide berth. She ignored them, focusing instead on the smiling shinobi before her. Something in her black, black heart lurched again at the sight of that expression and Cinder stamped it into sullen submission. Naruto knew something. Something he wasn't telling her. But what?

"These peaceful days won't last much longer, Cinder." his words struck a chord and she winced. "Might as well make them memorable."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

Rather than answer, he flicked a pouch of gold to a freshly summoned clone, one the doppelganger caught nimbly

"Go. Find Little Miss Malachite." he instructed sternly. "Tell her I need a favor."

Cinder scoffed to hide her guilt. "Perhaps you're not so useless after all-

A faint shattering of glass was her only warning. _"Down!"_

Naruto's shout came a heartbeat too late; for though Cinder ducked, Emerald jerked upright and _rounded_ on the sound, Semblance flaring. Said semblance did nothing to prevent the brick from sailing into her face with a vicious crack. Aura sparked furiously and she went down with a yelp, eyes spinning in her head. Thus did the carefully crafted illusion sputter and die around Emerald's groaning body.

Someone screamed and bystanders fled like doves before a Nevermore.

Naruto swore and dove after the thief's prone form, leaving Cinder to contend with the threat alone as an approaching silhouette emerged from an adjacent alley. She wasn't sure if she she should be proud or offended by his absence, but she stepped toward it all the same. She needed to kill something to rid herself of this guilt._ Now._

"I don't know who you are, but you've got some nerving picking a fight with...

A parasol tilted back, exposing a frightfully familiar face lurking beneath it. She knew that pink-brown hair anywhere, moreso the visage it framed. Stiletto heels clicked harshly against the cobblestones as she strode forth to meet her before pausing well out of reach.

...the three of us." she trailed off.

Confusion dawned, followed shortly thereafter by realization as she beheld the black bowler-hat the girl wore, that pointed look of condemnation upon that once impish face. She'd only seen her a handful of times before, but it was enough to cement the memory in her mind. She knew this girl. Mort aptly, this girl knew _her._

_Neo._

Roman Torchwick was undoubtedly dead, and so his little floozy had come seeking revenge. Not that she cared. The man had been a pawn to her, a means to an end, nothing more. If by some miracle he'd managed to survive the chaos of Beacon, Cinder would have killed him herself, if only to ensure his silence. Left alone, he would have been a loose end. But it didn't change the fact that she _hadn't _killed him. That was all Little Red. Neo didn't know that. Neo likely didn't care. Neo was looking for someone to hurt. And Cinder? Cinder was a prime target for Neo to vent her fury upon.

What had Roman called that umbrella of hers? Hush? Cinder would _be _hushed if she lowered her guard here.

Midnight's twin blades flicked out at her sides, coiled and ready to strike.

"I don't have time for your misplaced guilt, girl." she warned. "I didn't kill your boss. Take that up with Ruby."

She'd thought to calm her down with those words; distract her, channel her rage elsewhere while Naruto tended to Emerald in the background. They had the opposite effect. The girl made a sharp gesture across her throat that couldn't possibly be mistaken for anything less than bloody murder. She didn't bow. She didn't smile. Her eyes shone with furious, unshed tears.

Then she flew at her.

Cinder met her in a whirl of blades and immediately regretted said decision; because Neo all but turned into a whirling dervish of pink and white beneath her. She fought, but she didn't stand her ground. She fled, but she didn't run away. Hush came perilously close to slitting her throat within the first seven exchanges while _she _wasn't able to do anything more than score a thin graze on the girl's cheek. Neo? No such luck. Every miss-timed attack was an opening for her, every mistake a lethal opportunity to get in close and hammer on her.

"Stop!" Cinder retreated, rubbing the nape of her neck. Too close. "I didn't kill Roman!"

She may as well have spoken to the wind. Neo's stern visage descended on her with a soundless hiss.

No. She fought back, but her leg betrayed her, hampered her movements. Not like this. She refused to die here. She refused! She-

A large fist closed around the blade and wrenched its owner up and away.

Mismatching eyes met mismatching eyes. "There you are. Now lets calm down and talk like-aargh?!"

The little terror reared back and kicked him dead in the face with her heels to bloody his nose. Then she tried to cut open his groin.

Naruto spun stepped in and caught the blade on his forearm this time, uncaring of the rent it left in his light armor as he stepped forward to meet her. In the same movement he rammed a clenched fist into Neo's stomach and battered her solar plexus. It was a vicious hit by itself, a debilitating blow created for an ugly purpose. Breaking ribs and everything within.

Neo shattered like glass and vanished.

Cinder swore. "Tricky little...!"

"Move!" he shoved her aside as a sword eviscerated the space she'd just occupied. "She's after you, not me!"

And so she tumbled away as the angry pair engaged in a vicious waltz that would have made Tyrian Callows weep with envy; bodies bending and twisting at impossible angles to strike at one another with heels and palms and fists alike. There was a graceful beauty to their brawl, a raging cyclone set free yet restrained here in the alley.

They fought with visceral tenacity; never pausing for a moment, constantly moving, ever seeking to slay the other. Naruto made use of his longer reach where he could but Neo's deceptively small form made for a slippery opponent and she was in rare form today. Time and time again she wriggled out of his grasp, shattering or dodging back into the fogs whenever Naruto's onslaught proved too pressing. Cinder could see it in her eyes, she knew was she was doing.

She couldn't _afford_ to take a single hit, while whatever meager damage Hush inflicted on Naruto was summarily shrugged off. He could have rendered the street glass with his strength, yet he reigned himself in. When an angry white heel slammed toward his face he batted it aside, caught her up and flung her into a wall. She bounded right back at him, blade drawn. No. No one fought for her.

Cinder stepped in and settled the matter with a wave of napalm that caught the angry girl in midleap. Aura crackled and the colorfully clad girl slammed her singed parasol against a wall.

Naruto flickered her the merest of glances and went right.

With a long suffering sigh, the former Maiden surged to the left. Neo tried to track the both and ended up cross-eyed for it. Her mouth set itself in a snarl once more as she danced backwards again, this time away from them both. Faced with a double pronged assault, the smaller girl went berserk, flinging herself at the two of them with a wordless intake of air. Either unable or unwilling to retreat, she fought on.

Neo _knew _Naruto was stronger than her, knew he could capitalize on the smallest opening to capture or kill her. So she didn't give him one. She targeted Cinder instead actively going for her weak side, seeking what she thought was the weakest link in the chain. She wasn't wrong and it galled Cinder, burned her down to her very bones. Time and time again she tried to go for her and _that_ forced Naruto to stop her, take hits he otherwise shouldn't have.

She gave as good as she got, but the outcome was never in doubt. Enough of this!

Cinder pulled on her Semblance hard and _pulsed,_ slapping the girl in the face with a wave of molten glass.

She thrust just a touch too high in trying to deflect them and Naruto caught Hush by the handle. Cinder swept in after him with a triumphant roar and disarmed her. Literally. Neo tumbled backwards with a shocked gasp that both actually heard and landed right on her rear. She stumbled quickly, mismatching eyes wide and flickering as she gaped at the severed stump of her right hand. She began to twitch. Naruto dove at her before she could think to bold and tackled her to the ground.

She went wild in his grasp, kicking and snarling soundlessly until finally five fingers scythed into her side and she dropped.

Naruto plucked her up with an irritated growl. "Alright, you little hellspawn. Talk."

Neo pantomimed with her remaining hand.

"She can't." Cinder informed him.

Naruto only sighed.

_...lovely." _

**A/N: Don't worry Neo, you'll get your hand back. **

**Felt good to focus on the baddies. Sorry Raven. They keep stealing the show. Now ****the gears begin to turn.**

**Cinder's on the verge of realizing where Ruby -and her powers!- are hiding. It simply hasn't occurred to her that they might've stayed in Mistral. As far as tactics go, its not the wises of decisions. Eh, I'll chalk that one up to Ozpin. ****Ironically, Naruto's encampment isn't all that far from Haven itself; which is part of the reason he found Cinder so swiftly when she struggled out of the Vault.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!  
**_

**Read at your own risk!**

**(Preview)**

_Emerald was livid. "I'll kill her!"_

* * *

_Neo snapped up a finger._

_"Keep acting like that and I **won't** bring your boss back."_

_The injured little minx flopped back in her bed with a wordless sigh._

_"No, you can't go out and kidnap some random mook. Either a bad guy, or no one at all."_

_Neo gestured again, her hand movements going considerably more crude with each pass. "No! Not one of those."_

_Naruto began to wonder when he'd started to adopt all these misfits. He didn't think it would stop anytime soon. Not bloody likely._

* * *

_"I know my destiny."_

_"Is it your destiny?" Naruto slammed a hand against the wall, forcing a flinch from her. "Or is it a destiny Salem forced on you? That arm is killing you!"_

_Her chin jutted out in defiance. "Its mine. That power belongs to me."_

_"You don't need it!"_

_Sparks skittered in her palms. "Watch your words!"_

_"I'm begging you, Cinder!" He took her by the shoulders, heedless of her burning golden orbs as they narrowed on him. "Its time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you?!" Amber eyes met blazing cerulean, as he shook her. "And what do you want?! Answer me! Is it power?! You have your own skills and Semblance! I've seen you fight! You're not weak!" he pinched her chin and forced her eyes to meet his when she tried to turn away. "Is it comfort, then? You have that. So what is it then?! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"_

_Her hands balled helplessly at her sides._

_"I..._

* * *

_"Such a merry band of misfits! And what's this? __Oh? Oh!" Tyrian giggled, dancing from one foot to the other. "Oh, my~! Has our dear Cinder been, tamed? I never thought to see the day!"_

_"Quite so," Watts didn't smile, but his mustache twitched. "Domesticated. How quaint."_

_Cinder practically spat fire. "Domesticated?! I'll burn you both ALIVE-_

_Naruto blew out a breath. "Leave. You don't want this fight."  
_

_"Ah, but we do! And we brought friends!"_

_"More Grimm?" he growled._

_Tyrian only grinned._

_"Better."_

_A bolt of lightning ripped Naruto from his feet and sent him crashing into a tree._

**EDIT: NO! That is not Sasuke! I'm not doing that here!**

**R&R~!**


	6. Black Out The Sky

_**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**_

**Well, this happens to be one of my weaker stories, but hopefully this gets a few reviews. This chapter gets...tense, so I feel I should warn you of that.**

**There's also something else I'd like to say.**

**I...may be putting one of my dogs to sleep soon. Just saying it hurts. They're both really old by this point, but younger one's in a really bad way, she's not living a good life as she is now. Worse still, its become all but impossible to take care of her due her expensive medication and health issues. *Sigh* So that's been weighing me down something fierce. **

**Hmm. I suppose I'm rambling. I don't know what I'm going to do.**

**In any case, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for hearing me out during this difficult time. The trolls are still running rampant -though they're not here yet- but the positive feedback that I get from all you guys and gals really helps to keep this old man afloat.**

**As ever, reviews are my lifeblood. Without them, I wither and die. ****We pick up right where we left of here...with a surprise. Of course, there are ****References ahead, references for daaaaays.**

**As ever, I own no quotes, memes, or themes and as ****As ever, chapter title is a lyric. From where, you ask?**

**Why, All Things Must Die, of course~! ****Hehehehe, I regret nothing~!**

_"You were right earlier, you know. If I did Kaguya's bidding I could burn this world to the ground. I could boil the oceans. Scorch the earth. Black out the sky. I could suck the very life out of this planet, make it mine, and leave a dying husk behind. Rule like a god, and no one would be able to stop me. But I wouldn't be **me** anymore. You wouldn't like what I would become."_

_"Is that a threat?"_

_"Not at all. I simply speak the truth. __You think you want power, Cinder. You don't. Power is a curse. You don't use it; it uses you."_

_...you would know, wouldn't you?"_

_"I would. These eyes of mine allow me to see many things; not only the past, not only present, but...possibilities. Endless choices. Like a web, you know? Branching paths. But one thing remains certain at the core of that web. You're going to make a choice soon, very soon indeed. Even I don't know which. I wonder if you'll be happy with it."_

_~Memoirs of a Sage._

**Black Out The Sky**

Was this what it felt like to live?

No one to answer to, no one to fear, no one to worry for. Just the simple pleasure of being alive. Cinder found these halcyon days almost pleasant. Days soon bled into a week and try as she might rail against it -and their new guest!- she found a small part of herself grudgingly accepting the new order of things. With no recourse left to her but to wait for news from the city, she found new ways to preoccupy herself. There were no plans here, no plots, no schemes of world domination, and certainly no thoughts of betrayal. Her position was secure...well, as secure as it could be given the way Fate had actively screwed her over recently.

And so, in the absence of any sich schemes, Cinder began to train.

Time passed like so much wind and still Cinder's strength proved slow to return; like a jilted lover it steadfastly avoided her grasp and refused to come crawling back to her no matter what she did. Oh, her Semblance was still very much hers to command and fire remained her ally in all things, but her might was a shadow of what it had once been; what it always would be. No matter how hard she trained in the morning, no matter how she focused her rage and threw herself forward, her body simply refused to keep up with her mind. Though she'd lost her limp, she still felt dazed. Weak. Disconnected from herself. It was galling.

If there was a cause for this, a reason, she couldn't find it.

Each day she would wake and bathe in a nearby stream, dress, eat, then throw herself headlong into physical exertion until she could no longer move. It didn't matter what or where, so long as she was in motion. Be it running or exerting her Semblance, pitting herself against Mercury or Emerald, or even that little hellion Neo, anything that to bring her body back to its prime. From there she would inevitably exhaust herself and blunder into Naruto -or one of his clones!- who would in turn heal her, leaving her to run herself ragged all over again. Perhaps she'd skipped a few steps here and there. Perhaps this was cheating. Semantics. Didn't matter.

In this way, she sought to restore her former strength, no, to exceed it.

She'd become overly reliant on the Maiden's power; that much was painfully obvious to her now. Her fight against Neo had been stiff. Sloppy. She'd forgotten her skill and without it, her movements were sluggish. Slow. If not for Naruto, she would have died in that back alley. And now_ that little minx_ was following him around like a lost puppy. Thus was Cinder left fight and train, all the while waiting for new that never came. Where was the girl? Where was Ruby Rose? WHERE?!

_"Raargh!"_

A sudden fit of pique lent Cinder's next swing strength; rather than carve another slice into the tree before her, her blade cut straight through it. Even in her fevered state the former Fall Maiden still had the good grace to wince as the mighty oak toppled backward into the forest with an almighty crash. Blast it. She scowled at the scorched stump and sheathed her twin swords with a hiss, knowing she had lost control again. She was better than this. Where had her poise gone? She was meant to instill fear and anger in the hearts of others, not succumb to these base emotions herself.

"Not bad." A slow, steady clap resounded behind her in the fading evening light, echoing into the void she'd left behind. "Keep this up and we'll have more than enough firewood for the winter."

Cinder absolutely twitched. It was just a clone. She mustn't kill him. Slicing his head off would serve no purpose.

She still turned to face him. "Your wit is lacking as ever, I see."

The sage sketched a bow. "Still made you smile, though."

A small smile had touched her mouth. "Bastard."

Today she was chuffed to find that he'd changed his outfit for once; shedding his tattered robes and leather armor in favor of more casual wear; little more than dark boots alongside a worn pair of blue jeans and a red shirt over which he'd thrown a black blazer etched with orange flames. He'd even gone so far as to slap an eye-patch over his Rinnegan eye. It almost made him look human...if you ignored the latticework of scars that crisscrossed his arms and face. A mere plebeian might have fallen for the act.

Cinder wasn't fooled.

No matter how Naruto might play at normality -or wish to be!- he could never be one. He was something...more. It was still there in the way he held himself, poised to spring at the slightest provocations. Even his clones held the same body language. He was a warrior, a lion among sheep. They were the same in the regard, and she took pride in it.

"See something you like?" A blond brow arched as he caught her staring.

Cinder met his gaze levelly and crossed both arms beneath her bosom. "That remains to be seen."

If anything, he seemed to enjoy her cutting witticism; at least the easy grin he granted her seemed to say as much.

"Did you have something for me?" she changed the subject instead, knowing he wasn't going to elaborate. He always seemed content let her get the last word in. Why was that? Pity perhaps? Something else? Even after all this time she still didn't wholly understand him.

"I do." he beamed. "Catch."

He lobbed a red apple at her and in her hunger Cinder reached without thinking. Until her Grimm arm spasmed.

She caught the twitch immediately and snatched the apple with her true arm instead, but the moment was past and Naruto noticed.

"Does it still hurt?" came the question. "Your arm, I mean."

Cinder sank her teeth into the apple and refused to answer. Even now her arm continued to itch.

It had begun slowly at first, little more than a stray spasm that started one morning. Not a normal itch, but rather a tingling sensation that seemed to come and go at odd intervals. Now? It felt like spiders crawling in her veins, as though the limb were actively trying to get _away _from Naruto. Perhaps her false arm sensed what he was and feared him. Perhaps it missed her old power. Perhaps it was simply Salem's way of expressing her displeasure with Cinder from afar. Perhaps her body was simply rejecting it given her mood. Who could say? Cinder didn't know and it was this lack of knowledge that terrified her more than anything else.

_"Cinder."_

"What would you have me say?" she swallowed harshly and glowered at him when he didn't relent. "Yes, I'm experiencing some discomfort. There." she flung up her free arm and hurled the half eaten apple back his way with a vicious twist of her wrist, one he easily dodged. "Happy now? Its none of your concern."

"No," Naruto stepped to her, even as she stood her ground. "I think it is. Why are you keeping quiet about this? I don't like seeing you in pain."

When he reached for her hand and she batted it away. "I _said_ its none of your concern."

She wouldn't have his pity; didn't need it, didn't want it. Pity was poison. Pity was weakness. She'd sworn never to be weak again. No matter how she might feel. No matter what this fool did. Power was her only goal, and with power came the right to rule. Once she had that power back, she'd never be weak again; never lower her guard for anyone else. So what if her arm was being rebellious? She was strong. It would not steal her power, and she would master it once again as she had before. There was nothing to be concerned about...or so she told herself.

"You think you want power, Cinder." as if sensing that very thought, Naruto turned away from her. "You don't. Power is a curse. You don't use it; it uses you."

His eyes traveled the length of her trembling arm. "I know my destiny."

_"Is it your destiny?!"_ Naruto spun back and rammed a clenched hand against the ruined tree behind her, forcing a flinch from the former maiden as the bark splintered beneath his fist. "Or is it some destiny Salem forced on you?" Clone or no, his gaze still bored into her like a dust-powered drill. "That arm is killing you! Even I can see it!"

Killing her? No. Nonsense. She'd felt weak over the last few days, but surely that wasn't the cause. Salem wouldn't give her something what would kill her, surely.

Unless it had been feeding on her Maiden Power. Power that was now lost to her, leaving only-no! She refused to believe it!

Her chin jutted out in defiance. "Its mine. This power belongs to me."

_"You don't need it!"_

Sparks skittered in her palms. "Watch your words!"

"I'm begging you, Cinder!" Naruto took her by the shoulders, heedless of her burning golden orbs as they seared into him. "Its time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you?!" Amber eyes met blazing cerulean, as he shook her. "And what do you want?! Answer me! Is it power?! You have your own skills and Semblance! I've seen you fight! You're not weak!" he pinched her chin and forced her eyes to meet his when she tried to turn away. "Is it comfort, then? You have that. So what is it then?! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

Her hands balled helplessly at her sides.

"I...Did you come here to just to harass me?"

For a moment she thought he'd fight her, but no, Naruto surprised her by holding back.

...no." he relented at last. "That's not why I cam here. I know where your little Fall Maiden is; my contact finally got back to me."

"Where is she?!" His words coursed through her like a searing flood as she jolted upright, but he held her back. Cinder allowed it, uncaring of his scowl. At last! Vengeance would be hers! "When do we strike?!"

Now it was Naruto's turn to hold his tongue and the silence between them grew sullen and heavy like a wet blanket. There was an quiet anger in his gaze now, one that hadn't been there before; belatedly Cinder realized the mistake she'd made, the peril in which she'd placed herself. He was well and truly furious with her -as he had every right to be!- and could just as easily withhold the information he'd received. If he did that, she'd be right back where she started or worse; he could lie to her and send her on a wild goose chase across the kingdoms.

"Well?!" She demanded, balling her fists once more "Tell me!"

"What are you going to do with this information?" he tilted his head, the falling shadows draping over his right eye. A cold core of dread settled in her gut.

"Miss Malachite was quite curious, but she's something of an old friend." Naruto continued, ignoring her sullen look. "And she told me a great many things. This girl you're looking for is little more than that." when he hung his head Cinder wanted to hang him herself. "Her name is Ruby Rose. She's just a girl. And you...you're going to kill her, aren't you?"

_"She stole what was rightfully mine!"_

"Did she?" his brow arched higher still at her rage. "Did she actively play a part in killing you and taking your power?"

No. She hadn't. She'd left her scarred and wounded at Beacon, but she hadn't deliberately snatched the might of the Fall Maiden from her. Chance and her final thoughts at the time had sent the power to the girl. That didn't diminish her dislike of her. Not in the least. She was a danger, one that Cinder couldn't possibly bring herself to abide. For better or worse, Ruby Rose still had to die, if not for her silver eyes, then for the power she now commanded. There could be no avoiding this.

"She has to die." Cinder said as much. "There's no other way."

"Yes, there is." Naruto retorted, butting his head against hers. "You just don't know it."

"Then by all means, elucidate." She challenged in kind, slamming her head right back into his own. "Tell me."

Naruto growled, but didn't back down, even as Cinder pushed human hand threateningly against his chest. At such close proximity his scent wafted over her; bringing with it the faint aroma of charcoal and sweat. It was a strangely heady scent, one that caused something to burrow up in her heart. No! Bad girl! Focus! If she could charm him into telling her, all the better. If not, then she lost nothing. What was the saying? Nothing ventured, nothing gained? Such was the lie she whispered to herself.

"Tomorrow." he said instead, jolting her in place as he stepped back. "I'll give you your answers and we'll deal with this tomorrow. On one condition."

His eyes strayed to her Grimm arm. Cinder clutched it behind her back. "No. Absolutely not. I refuse."

"Then you don't need my intel." Naruto bit back.

By now the sun had long since begun its descent; there was yet light enough to see, but in another hour that would no longer the be case. Cinder didn't much like the idea of stumbling back to the village in the dark, not with so many Grimm about. Blast him. He was making this impossible!

_"Damn you!"_

"Don't be so dramatic." twin fingers flicked her forehead, eliciting an angry hiss from the master schemer and she swiped at him to no avail as he darted away. "I'll gladly give you back your left arm for it. Just...let me get rid of that thing. _Please. _You don't know what its doing to you."

There was a strange earnestness to his words just then that Cinder didn't quite understand; almost as if he were begging her. Why did he want her Grimm arm gone so badly? There was something here that she'd failed to see, but what? Perhaps it weakened her. Perhaps not. What was she missing here? Did it allow Salem to track her? Or was there some more sinister purpose at work? Did she truly need her Grimm arm? It afforded her the means to surprise her opponent to be sure, but at what cost? If it was killing her, draining her very life force...

Her arm twitched again, and she felt another surge of weakness.

...very well." she offered Naruto her twitching limb with a growl. "Be quick about it."

"Of course." His visible eye seemed to burn with blue flame for a moment. "Nothing simpler."

Compared to the hell she'd gone through regaining her eye, this process was a quick and ugly thing. He gripped her Grimm arm by the wrist and muttered something in a foreign language she didn't understand. With an angry hiss, the inky blackness dissolved under his touch, leaving the ruined stump of her left arm behind. When he stepped forward and gripped that, Cinder knew to brace herself. She told herself it wouldn't hurt. That it would be painless compared to the hell she'd already suffered through.

_She was wrong._

Naruto's hand pulsed green and a a full-throated yelp tore out of Cinder's throat as blood and bone and _sinew_ erupted in ghastly fashion from the ragged stump of her left arm. Her stomach protested violently at the sight and she turned her gaze away just as healthy flesh flowed over her muscle like milk. It was quick, he'd been honest in that much; but he'd neglected to mention the bone-jarring agony that would follow. When he released her arm she toppled backwards to the forest floor, retching violently.

She lay there for a few moments, whimpering in pain as she curled into a ball gasping for breath. Naruto -his clone!- pretended not to see.

Cinder willed herself to gaze at her restored arm, forced her trembling fingers into a fist. It was hers. Perhaps a bit paler than she would've liked, but some imperfection was to be expected. A glowing green hand alighted on her shoulder, bringing with it a sudden rush of vitality and numbing relief. She sighed almost pleasantly and leaned into hit.

"You feel better, don't you?" Naruto hummed somewhere above her as he retracted his palm. "I knew you would; without that parasite gnawing on your life-force you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you can achieve."

Though it galled Cinder to admit it, he'd spoken true on that front. In the absence of her false arm, with her stamina now restored, she _did_ feel stronger. Stronger than she'd been before Beacon certainly. The thought sent a tingle of anticipation through her. If she was this strong now after training, how much _stronger _would she be when she recovered the other half of herself?

"Why the wait?" she gasped out at last. "The sun's nearly set. Now would be the perfect time to strike."

"Because if I tell you now, you're going to run off and try to kill her the moment I fall asleep." he muttered aside, drawing her attention. "From what I've been told you'll be running right into a trap. You may have come leaps and bounds above what you once were but, well," A hand rose, idly palming her face and for a moment, just a moment, she leaned into it. "I wanted the four of you to be further along than this."

"Four?" she frowned.

"Neo." he put in pointedly, helping her stand.

"Oh, you mean the mute." her lips pursed into a thin line of displeasure. "I was under the impression we were going to kill her."

_"Cinder."_

"I trust you have a use for her, then?" she challenged.

"Something like that." he opened his mouth to say more, but a harsh crack in the distance caught his attention. It sounded eerily like gunfire. "Oh." a slow blink followed as he craned his neck toward the noise. "That was sooner than I expected. They're early.

That dread she'd felt before? It was back now, slithering through her stomach like a snake. "What?"

"Listen to me, Cinder." Naruto grabbed her by the arm, eliciting a wince. "There's a point where your life begins to tip. There's a point where it breaks," he prodded her shoulder when she swatted at him. "There's a point where it bends," Now her collarbone, "And finally, a point where you just can't take anymore." she ducked when he tried to poke her forehead and his slim shoulders rose in a helpless shrug. "We've finally reached the latter, I think. I've done the best I can to prepare you for what's to come, but from here on out, this isn't my story anymore. Its yours. Go back to the village. Quickly now. I'll be right behind you."

"Damnit, wait!" She snatched at him to no avail, he eeled through her grasp. "I don't understand! Whatr'e you on about?!"

"Oh, and keep an eye on the original." the clone went on, "He's fond of you, I think. Lucky guy. I almost envy him."

"I swear by the brother gods if you don't tell me what this is about I will END you!"

The smile he favored seemed almost sad, somehow.

_"Sorry. We're out of time."_

With a rush of movement, the clone threw itself into the woods she could ask what he'd meant by that. Toward the noise. Concerned and suddenly fearful, the former Maiden reluctantly marched off in the opposite direction. Just now...it felt like he was saying goodbye. Odd. She'd see the original soon enough. It didn't change the face that fallen into a rut that she just couldn't seem to escape. Tomorrow may well free of it...wouldn't it?

How the mighty had fallen.

Salem must've realized her failure by now; but still, she'd made no moves against her and she dare no return without the power of the Fall Maiden. She might be able to hide the truth from Watts or Tyrian, but Salem would _know. _She always knew. And while her mistress might brook failure on occasion, but to lose so spectacularly? Never. No doubt she was even now scouring Mistral to find her. Would she be replaced with someone younger? Someone more easily molded? Had it already happened? Who knew?

Ducking under a low hanging branch, she found herself forced to summon a small flame to her hand just to see as she stalked into the night. Her semblance should have provided her some small comfort; instead it made the shadows writhe and twist, more monstrous than her own thoughts.

Mercury and Emerald had already gone native, while Hazel was yet to return from his journey. Wherever he'd gone. No one spoke of it, but the silent message remained. His loyalty to Salem was clearly compromised now more than ever. It should have relieved Cinder; knowing that there was another turncoat in whom she might trust. It did not; not when her own loyalties lay in question.

Salem wouldn't tolerate their absence for much longer. She would send someone or worse, she would come herself.

When that time came...she would have to make a choice.

Did she throw her lot in with Naruto? A man capable of reviving the dead, one held the world's end at bay with his body alone. Or did she reaffirm her allegiance to Salem? That woman was a terror in her own right; she held all the Grimm in her sway. She was immortal. Eternal. A living goddess in all but name. Regardless of her choice, she would have to make one. Soon. She couldn't stay here forever. Could she?

_Would it be so bad?_ A small, traitorous voice whispered in her ear as she walked. _You could have a life here._

Just the thought of it made Cinder hasten her pace that much more.

Yes! Whatever her cohorts thought of Naruto, she was different. She was not some blushing -ex!- maiden to be tamed! She was Cinder Fall! She was fear! She was death! She was...

A soft purr at her heel said otherwise.

...oh, blast it." she swore softly. "Where did you come from?"

Somehow that damn kitten had found her once again and belatedly Cinder realized she'd reached the village proper; by now the sun had all but set; leaving only a few flickering torches on the walls within. Still the damn cat continued to nuzzle her leg, thereby forcing her to extinguish the flame in her hand pick it up as she made her way through the gates. The guards there gave her a knowing look until she glared them into submission, the insolent fools. She wasn't being weak, she told herself. This creature brought her comfort. She was simply cultivating a resource. An asset. Yes. That was it. Certainly. She had no ulterior motives. Nope. None at all.

It licked her cheek and something deep inside of Cinder absolutely squealed. Nope. No ulterior motives. She would _butcher_ anyone who dared say otherwise.

In the end, she was almost relieved to find the spectacle taking place withing what passed for the town square; at first her paranoia deemed it an attack, were it not for the crowd that had gathered to watch. Sure enough she spied Emerald's distinctive hair mingled with that of Naruto and Neo's. A flash of silver locks in the faint lighting heralded Mercury's presence as well...right before a boot cracked into him and sent him sprawling down into the dirt.

"No, no, no!" a familiar voice bemoaned. "You're doing it all wrong! Control my central line! Faster! Destroy my focus!"

Cinder paused, idly stroking the kitten in her arms as she watched this beautiful disaster unfold.

She watched them fight from afar with a keen eye. No. This couldn't be called a fight. Not truly. More a brawl than anything else.

There was no choreography on their part, no strategy, nothing. They didn't work together and as such, Naruto picked the three apart time and time again with ease. He fought like an absolute maniac on a drug trip of epic proportions, bending and twisting at impossible angles to catch blades and boots alike before flinging them back in their faces. Her mind howled at the absurdity of it all. Neo she couldn't care less for, but Emerald and Mercury were sloppy. Or perhaps Naruto merely made them seem so.

Of the unlikely trio, only Neo managed to land the occasional blow, and even then she was easily dismantled.

Naruto didn't so much move among her minions as he did dance, a seamless blur of black and gold that harassed them to no end. Wreathed in eerie saffron light he caught Mercury's right leg when he tried to kick his shin and bodily levered the younger man into Emerald. In the sane moment he caught Neo's thin blade, clubbed her head with the blunt end, and used its momentum to launch her into the air. Mercury saw his opportunity and bounded upright in a whirl of silver and grey, but his rising roundhouse kick only met a plume of white smoke and slugged his partner instead.

"Watch it!" Emerald pushed at him.

"You watch yourself!" Mercury pushed right back.

"Now, now," Naruto chided. "I told you to come at me with the intent to kill."

Neo crashed down on his head like a vengeful missile, only to find her blade inextricably snared in a log. An appreciative whistle granted her.

Cinder saw Naruto erupt from her shadow and chose not to warn her. The girl's poleaxed expression and the soft gasp that followed was sweet, sweet retribution for her.

"See? Just like that." he hummed, kicking her away. "Neo's got the right of it."

Mercury lunged again, with Emerald a heartbeat behind.

Naruto claimed to be many things, but first and foremost, he was a shinobi. He could've killed the assassin in that moment; indeed, Cinder saw his eyes pulse for an instant as he considered it. Instead he drove the heel of his palm against the boy's neck and sent him stumbling into Emerald once more. Neo tried to cut out at his exposed arm and earned a sweep to her legs that slammed her right into Mercury's back. The resultant squawk that followed was strangely satisfying. Was this what it felt like to have pride in someone else? Such a shame, then, that it was overshadowed by all this unyielding rage.

"You need to trust one another." he reprimanded them with a shake of the head. "Back in my day, this would've gotten you lot killed and-

His eyes caught Cinder's from within the crowd and widened.

"We'll call it there for the day." he raised his voice to be heard by all present parties. "Alright, you lot! You've had your fun, but the show's over! Off with you! Shoo!" tan hands flicked outward in a shooing gesture and the crown reluctantly began to disperse back from whence they'd came. Not nearly fast enough for Cinder's liking, but she decided to choose her battle widely and glided to her side. They could all go and get themselves right and properly soused in the bar for all they cared. With that thought her earlier anxiety began to bleed away, replaced by mild annoyance as Mercury climbed to his feet.

"What was that disaster?" her voice lacked the bite it always held with a kitten in her arms. "You barely put up a fight."

Emerald made noise that might have been a scoff. "Sorry, Cinder. Perhaps you'd fare better with him...?"

Was that snark, just now? She was almost proud. Almost. "What was that?"

"No, mom. Nothing mom."

Neo howled with silent laughter.

"Yeah, boss, he's got a mean kick for an old man." Mercury grinned, massaging his jaw. "Ow! Damnit, I think you knocked a tooth loose."

"Then spit it out." the blond granted him a bleak laugh as he helped a bashful Emerald rise. Neo snapped up a finger when he didn't give her the same treatment.

"Keep acting like that and I _won't _bring your boss back." when the injured little minx flounced back onto the ground with a wordless sigh and signed at him anew, his expression darkened. "No, you can't go out and kidnap some random mook. Either a bad guy, or no one at all." Neo gestured again, her hand movements going considerably more crude with each pass. "No! Not one of those."

Cinder began to wonder when he'd started to adopt all these misfits. She didn't think it would stop anytime soon. Not bloody likely-

A crimson portal opened on Naruto's exposed flank and her world ground to a halt.

"Hmm?" Naruto turned, annoyance flashing across his whiskered visage.

The kitten wriggled out of Cinder's arms with a hiss.

She recognized the portal at once of course; after all, she'd stepped through one such gateway back in Haven. There was only one woman in the world capable of creating those. _Raven._ Naruto had made mention of her ages ago, so long now that she'd nearly forgotten. Supposedly she visited him for for supplies on occasion. Just the thought of her set Cinder's pulse alight with anger, bringing with it the stinging memory of her defeat. She would kill her. Murder her. Tear the very flesh from her bones...why hadn't she emerged?

As if waiting for that very moment, the Spring Maiden emerged, sword in hand.

Wait.

That wasn't her sword.

Cinder had seen the woman's blade before in the heat of battle, and this was most assuredly _not_ Omen. That weapon in her palm looked older. Stranger. Stronger. A long weapon with a curved guard, there was an eerie presence about that ancient tool that all but seemed to scratch and claw at the air like a living thing, wild and angry. It seemed to both call to her and rebuke her in the same moment. No, she shook her head. Absurd. A weapon couldn't be alive.

That couldn't possibly be what she thought it was. It just couldn't.

"Hey, Raven." Naruto smiled amicably, but there was an edge to his grin that hadn't been there before as he reached up to remove his eye-patch. He saw Raven's new sword and suspected something; because the portal had yet to close. Cinder saw it too and a pit of black dread opened in her stomach. "What brings you here at this hour? I'm afraid we're a bit low on rum-

_"I'm sorry." _Two words. Two simple words damned them.

Mismatching eyes widened. "No."

Cinder wasn't prepared for who emerged after Raven. In hindsight, she should have been. Perhaps she'd gone soft. Perhaps she simply hadn't expected this. Who could say? As such, when Arthur Watts and Tyrian Callows stepped out of that gaping red portal and back into reality, she could be forgiven for freezing up. Mercury swore softly and Emerald jerked backwards. Neo merely tilted her head in quiet contemplation and shifted her dirty parasol over her right shoulder.

"Well, well, well." Watts drawled, pausing to brush a bit of dust from his coat. "So this is where you were hiding. You made it quite the hassle to find you."

Naruto glared bloody red daggers at Raven. "I knew you were a coward, but this...? Do you have any idea what you've done?"

The bandit pointedly refused to look at him.

"Don't be too heard on the girl." Arthur crooned. "She simply saw the benefits of allying herself with us. Is it not better to serve than to die?"

"Quite so~!" Tyrian cried. "Our goddess is a most benevolent ruler! And forgiving, too!"

In that singular moment Cinder understood what the clone had said earlier, where it had gone, as well as the sacrifice it must have made; left to run interference and allow her the chance to slip back into the village. It must've sensed them coming and worked to delay them. It had never meant to win at all, not that it could given how little energy it had. Its purpose had been to stall, little more, and it had accomplished that task at least. Somehow, such an ignoble end only angered her.

"Such a merry band of misfits! And what's this? Oh? Oh!" Still the madman continued to giggle, dancing from one foot to the other like a mad jester. "Oh, my~! Has our dear Cinder been tamed?" he clasped both hands before his chest like a child clutching at a new toy. "I never thought I'd see the day!"

"Quite so," Watts didn't smile, but his mustache twitched at the sight of her restored appearance. "Domesticated. How quaint."

"Domesticated?!" Cinder practically spat fire at them. "You dare?! I'll burn you both ALIVE!"

Tyriain cackled. "Without the power of the Fall Maiden? Unlikely, dear Cinder."

His words struck her like a slap in the face; more powerful than any poison, so too did his retort silence her immediately. They knew. Which meant Salem knew. Dead. They were all dead. There was no way out of this for her now. No. Wait. She told a lie. There was a way out of this. She wasn't going to like it.

...she knows?"

"Oh, yes!" By the gods she wanted to throttle this twit! "Our queen has known for quite some time now. Poor Ruby Rose, hiding in Haven. Such a foolish girl. Such a simple soul to be snuffed out...

Narut absolute hissed. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"My dear fellow, you have absolutely no say in the matter!"

"Where is Hazel?" Watts inquired suddenly.

"Away." Naruto pointedly folded both arms before his chest. "I don't know when he'll return."

"He's dead, then." Naturally, he made the wrong assumption.

_"Nope."_

...I see. Very well, then. I have been authorized to offer you this once chance." grimacing, Watts forced himself to stand at attention, folding both arms behind his back in a manner he no doubt thought to be imposing. It was not. "Salem commands the three of you to return to the Grimmlands with us at once. And as for you," his gaze drifted to Naruto, considering the blond for a long, pointed moment. "I don't know who you are, but her grace has expressed an interest in your talents as well...I don't suppose you'd be willing to come quietly?"

"Oh, that's just precious." Cinder knew his answer before she could defend him. "Serve the embodiment of all evil? Yeah, I don't think so."

...seconded." Mercury was the next to speak.

Emerald's head snapped towards him. "Idiot! What're you doing?!"

"No?" Watts coughed in surprise. "My dear boy, I was not asking. This is a command. You _will_ return with us at once."

"Nope." the assassin shook his head and nimbly stepped to Naruto's right side to stand with him. "Consider this my resignation."

"I thought you might say that." the scientist extracted a small device from his coat. "Such a pity. I'll have to tell her grace that you perished."

In a single savage movement he depressed a button within and Mercury -rather, his legs- buckled like rotten driftwood. Watts nimbly pressed the button again and something gave with a horrible crunch as the boy found himself violently electrocuted. Bereft of balance he toppled to the earth with a startled yelp. All eyes rounded on Watts, suddenly wary. Another pressed ceased the shocks.

Mercury absolutely spasmed. "What the...hell?!"

"How many times did I modify those legs for you, boy?" Watts sneered, a hint of a smile peeking out behind his mustache. "Did you think I wouldn't be prepared for a situation such as this?"

"Greasy little...!

Naruto made to step forward and the scientist hefted his prize high.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. It would be such a _shame_ if something happened to him."

Rather than back down the blond merely frowned. "You won't live to press that button again, Watts."

"I'll offer you one final chance." in turn, the scientist extended his hand to them. "Return to her side or die with this fool."

Naruto blew out a breath. "Leave. Both of you. "You don't want this fight."

"Ah, but we do!" Tyrian cackled. "And we brought a surprise!"

"More Grimm?" he growled. "They'll die like the rest."

Tyrian only grinned. _"I think not."_

Naruto lunged at Watts in a liquid blur and _Raven_ spun with impossible speed to bring her strange blade crashing down into his chest. True to form he saw the attack coming and ducked out of its reach; only for a searing wave of heat and angry force to struck him regardless. Mismatched eyes widened in surprise before he was ripped from his feet and sent him crashing into a tree.

"The Relic of Destruction." Watts confirmed Cinder's worst fears with a satisfied smirk. "Its quite potent, wouldn't you agree? Vacuo was right to hide it. Tyrian, go help her-

"Neo!" Naruto's voice boomed across the clearing. "You want your boss back?!"

The petite girl perked up like an eager puppy.

_"Kill the scorpion!"_

Say what you would about Neo, but her loyalties were never in question. Cinder had always known that from the start. Neo didn't serve a cause, and Neo certainly didn't care for prestige or power. She served her interests and hers alone. The moment Naruto offered her something she wanted, no, needed in her life? Well. Cinder witnessed the precise the moment those mismatching eyes turned hooded, narrowing in thinly veiled pleasure as only a murderer's could. Neo gathered her legs beneath her, drew her legs taught as Hush's blade flew free from its scabbard...and flew at Tyrian like a missile.

The poor faunus squawked in surprise, suddenly in the fight of his life.

Incredibly, he laughed. "Oh, sweet treachery! Another lost soul to dedicate to my goddess!"

"How unfortunate." Watts simply sidestepped the confrontation, uncaring for the combat behind him. "It seems they've made their decision. _Now_ m_ake your choice, Cinder."_

Choice? What choice did she have?

Power, or her life. That was the offer she had been given. What did she desire? The return of her power certainly; she wanted strength and prestige, to be feared and respected by all. If she refused, Salem would surely kill her, or make an attempt at the least. Could she best Watts as she was now? Mercury wouldn't be moving with his legs disabled, so she'd find no help there. Emerald...well. Emerald followed wherever she went. Wouldn't she? What she'd once taken for granted was suddenly in question. She looked absolutely torn.

And yet...

She stared at her hands, her human hands, healthy and whole. Only a few hours before her left arm had been Grimm. She'd felt so weak and thought losing it would make her weaker still. Now? She felt complete. Whole, as if in restoring her limb, Naruto had unlocked something deep within her. It sounded foolish, but there could be no denying that she felt stronger. She had all the power she needed. She knew where that blasted little bitch was and more importantly, where she would be going. What need did she have for this place? And yet...

_"Don't!"_

All eyes snapped toward the sound.

"You're better than this!" Naruto coughed. "I know you are!"

"And what do you know?" Watts clicked his tongue. "Raven, be a dear and deal with him, would you?"

Across the clearing Naruto struggled to rise, only for another bolt of lighting to last out at him like a whip. _This_ he narrowly caught at the last moment, only for Raven to barrel headlong into his chest; in return the sheer force of her assault drove him through the bark and into the woods beyond. For the first time since she'd known him, she heard the blond cry out in pain. A golden arm snaked out in the dark to yank Raven off her feet before she could bring the Relic to bear again and dragged her away with him. There would be no help for Cinder here. She was on her own. Just as she'd always been. This was her decision to make.

So why were her hands trembling?

"Come now," Watts frowned at her, mustache bristling in annoyance. "Is it really so difficult a decision to make? You owe this fool nothing. Nothing at all."

Yes, there was only one answer to be had here. She believed in destiny after all. There had only ever been a single option...

"No," she murmured, making a fist with her right hand. "I suppose it isn't."

He turned his back on her. "Sensible of you. Shall we go, then?"

For better or for worse, Cinder Fall made her choice.

_...and she drew her blades._

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS.**

**Else, you might be confused. ****Now I'm sure many of you are asking, what choice did Cinder make? Did she go back to Salem? Did she choose Naruto? Well. Next chapter will confirm it, but I believe I made it quite clear here. Will there be repercussions? Of course there will. Either way, she's betraying someone. She won't be getting out of this unscathed.**

**Weren't prepared for Raven and a Relic, were you? She isn't at all aware of what Naruto is and of course feels nothing going against him.**

**Hope you're ready; because now we're cranking things up to ELEVEN.**

**It is HEAVILY implied that Watts and Tyrian raided Vacuo while Cinder was convalescing and forced the Summer Maiden's compliance, thereby securing the Relic of Destruction, which we all know to be a nasty piece of work in the form of a sword. From there they found Raven and...well. ****For those who guessed it, the poor birdie's firmly under Salem's employ now, and not by choice.**

**She's afraid of Salem, you see. Terrified of her. She tried to fight. She failed.**

**Salem's not too keen on losing her pawns; had it merely been one person, that she could have forgiven; ignored at the very least. But Naruto didn't stop at one. Consider this if you will. As far as our angry Grim Goddess is concerned Cinder, Hazel, Mercury, AND Emerald all vanished without a word. And they did. None of them made any effort to return to the Grimmlands, to contact her, anything at all. Meaning someone either killed them, or they actively defected.**

** Of course Salem takes a dim view on such things. ****How did you think she would respond to this?**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!  
**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY!  
**_

_**YE BE WARNED!**_

**Read at your own risk!**

**(Preview)**

_"Any last requests, false god?"_

_A slow, shuddering breath greeted him. "...ay."_

_Tyrian tilted his head and leaned closer. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."_

_The dead man grinned up at him; but that didn't make any sense. Dead man told no tales. Dead man didn't move. Dead men certainly didn't grin when they were pumped full of poison._

_"I said...I have a request." Naruto croaked, wiping a thin line of blood from his jaw. "Yes, there is one thing you can do for **me...**_

_A fist shot out, caught the man's stinger, wrenched it free from his ribs, and slammed its owner to the ground in a single seamless movement._

_Raven lunged at him from a portal and the blond backhanded her through a tree with nary a backward glance. He didn't care for her, he'd chosen his victim and there would be no escape._

_**...pray."** a dark shadow loomed over him as a boot came down on his back. Tyrian tried to wriggle loose, tried to flee, tried to scurry away even as it crushed down on his spine, but he couldn't. There was no escape here; because the bastard still had hold of his tail.** "That's just about the only thing you can do while you're still alive, Tyrian."** there was something wrong with his voice, as if another were speaking with him, through him. Odd. Concerning at the very least...wait. __Why were his eyes white? Why was he laughing?_

_Twin horns sprouted from his head with a sickening crack as tan flesh turned pale._

_**"Ahhh, and there it is. The fear. I'd almost forgotten what it smelled like. No, no, no, don't pray to me." **he drawled, at last seeing his bowel-loosening terror. **"I won't be listening."** that shaggy blond hair seemed to burn white as he stepped back into the shadows, dragging the struggling Faunus with him. **"No, I want you to** **pray to your goddess. Pray to Salem. Call for her. Beg. Plead. Squeal for her to save you. You have ten seconds."**_

**R&R~!**


	7. Murder! Unkindness! Conspiracy!

_**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**_

**Had to split this chapter into halves due to all the chaos.**

**Now, then. I imagine you have questions. I have the answers. T****hought I made things clear already, but hey, I don't mind saying it again.**

**Naruto's body is something of a paper mache flame thrower in this story. Of course it is. He's holding back a mad goddess; one who is slowly overtaking him. ****Remember what was said before? He uses too much chakra. Kaguya gets out. Kaguya gets out? WORLD. ENDS. He can't go around throwing Tailed Beast Bombs like he used to. He can still fight of course, he just has to pick and choose his battle wisely, lest he risk unleashing the Rabbit Goddess upon the world.**

**And now he's got a pair of killers after him. Oh, dear.**

**Furthermore! A few folks have asked why Raven sided with Salem to avoid death. Once again! It was outright STATED that she never knew what our boy was a walking nuke.**** Had she been privy to that ? She would've chosen him over Salem. Alas, that bridge has been burned. Salem terrifies Raven...and there's nowhere left for poor birdie to run now that Salem's got her claws into her. She's been beaten and broken nearly to the point of no return, hence why she's been given a Relic to fight with.**

**Salem knows Raven won't run.**

**Based on the information she's received, _Salem_ believes Naruto is just a powerful being that can be destroyed. ****How wrong she is...**

**As ever, reviews are my lifeblood. Without them, I wither and die. Furthermore****, I own no quotes, memes, or themes. Once more, the**** chapter title is a lyric. From where, you ask?**

**You've made your Choice now, Cinder. ****And the world will live with it.**

**Kudos if you know this source of this lil' modified quote.**

**Because...now...NOW THE BLOODBATH BEGINS.**

**And what is a bloodbath without Neo?**

_"__I finally get it. Thank you. I made the mistake of treating you people like...people. But now I know better. You're **not** people. You're madmen. Monsters. Animals. Criminals and cravens and cowards who want to drag the world under for their own gain. But I...**I** understand what the world wants. What it world needs people in charge who are willing to put animals like you down. That's right.__ I've finally bought what you've been selling. Isn't that wonderful?_

_"M-Monster..._

_"Monster? No, no, no. I am a goddess. Tell me, h__ow does it feel, child? To be deconstructed? To be the victim? To watch your dreams die? __Don't look away now. This is what you wanted. Look at me. I want to watch the light leave your eyes."_

_~Kaguya._

**Murder! Unkindness! ****Conspiracy!**

_Neo wanted to cry._

She was a good fighter. One of the best. She'd butchered countless huntsmen and huntresses, slaughtered any and all who'd dared oppose her...until Roman. Born and raised on the streets, she had spent years honing her craft. And today? Today she _fought_ like it; today she turned into a whirling dervish of white and pink and brown that showed no mercy to her opponent. Twisting, slashing, raging, she flung herself her opponent with singular focus and fury. Hush danced in her hands, her thin bladed parasol striking at heels, legs and throat alike.

"Ohoho~! Aren't you an angry one?!"

Anyone else would have perished a long time ago...anyone, save Tyrian Callows.

_"Shut! Up!"_ she wanted to shout the words, would have, if she had a voice. Blondie -Naruto!- had offered to give that back to her as well, but she'd waffled until it was too late. Now it didn't matter. No matter how much she might have wanted to rant and rave, screaming would do her no good here.

She.

Just.

Didn't.

Have it.

Loathe as Neo was to admit her failing, Tyrian was better than her. Not by much, but enough to count, and in a fight like this, that was all that mattered. He fought like a man possessed, slipping through her guard, seeing through her illusions, his blades biting through her aura as though it were naught but butter. To make matters worse, that tail of his had already nicked her more than once. Rage was a hell of an anesthetic, but she could feel her body growing more and ore sluggish with each passing moment. If this didn't end soon, her life_ would._

_That damned tail!_

That ghastly metal abomination was an absolute menace; blocking her blows, deflecting her blade, tripping up her feet! Had it been flesh, she would've hacked right through it. Seemed someone had already done the deed a long time ago, hence the metal prosthetic. If she ever met the party responsible for that, she'd kill 'em. But for now? She fought.

Feinting left, she dove right instead, caught one of the Tyrian's blades and swayed under the second, ears ringing as gunfire barked perilously close to her head. Yet again that infuriating tail flicked out at her, but this time she managed to chamber a kick into his side before the ghastly appendage could reach her. Hush flicked out, carving an angry red trench against the madman's stomach as she rammed it through his kidney. By all rights, it should have dropped him.

Like a puppet dancing on its master's strings, the lunatic jerked around and backhanded her to the ground.

"Such a vicious little thing." he cooed, dancing over her like some fool jester. "How would you like to serve my queen? Salem would just adore you~!"

Neo hissed out a soundless breath and launched herself at him again. She didn't know who this "Salem" was, and frankly, she didn't much care. She'd seen what Blondie could do. Blondie had made her a deal; promised to bring Roman back and she knew he could, because he'd kept his promises. She'd seen him do it.

She wanted her Dum-Dum back.

She'd do ANYTHING to have him back.

But that wasn't going to happen; not at this rate. Because she just couldn't kill this idiot!

Whenever she scored a hit he only laughed and fought all the harder. She'd carved countless cuts into his body, even blinded him in his right eye, and still he kept coming, the psychopath! And that _meant _something coming from her! He cared not for his wounds, nor the tattered state of his clothes, or even his battered weapons.

He

Just.

Kept.

Coming!

He dove at her again and again and again, even as his Aura faltered and hers began to break. He didn't stop. You couldn't fight someone like this. Not for long. Your only option was to kill them quickly. Ambush them, get the drop on them, slit their throat while they were asleep. That wasn't an option here. Tyrian was focused on her with a fierce intensity, one she couldn't escape.

How long had she been fighting? It felt like hours. Could've been minutes. She didn't know.

No one was coming to help her; not with the village on fire. There would be no salvation here, no last minute rescue, no hero to save the day. Metal-Legs was already down for the count thanks to the Scientist, little miss Fire-Bitch had vanished to gods knew where, taking Emerald with her, and Neo hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Bloody Woman From The Train nor any sign of Blondie since their brawl began.

But she could hear them.

All the world shook while they fought, blasting great gaping holes in the earth, flinging explosions through the tree, warping reality itself. Even the skies weren't safe anymore; for the once starry night had grown dark with storm clouds, wreathed now by peals of thunder and ghastly lightning as they flung thunderbolts at one another. It felt like the world was ending. Hers certainly was.

When one such bolt past perilously close to them, Neo leaped away in a desperate attempt to create some much-needed distance between her and her opponent.

Tyrian seized the opportunity like the rabid dog he was and dove _through _the fire and the flames of the explosion that followed. He cared not for his wounds, or the blackened blistered skin it left him. Eyes spinning, ears ringing, Neo saw him too late. He pounced on her, bearing her down with his weight and smashing her to the ground. She realized her peril immediately and kicked out with a pointed heel, to no avail. Strong arms wrested Hush out of her grasp and sent it sailing away into the chaos.

"No, no, no!" the lunatic purred, bending double to press his forehead against hers. "You're not getting away this time, little rat."

Neo's mismatching eyes blazed with fire and she headbutted him._ Hard._ Tyrian jerked back with a how, clutching at his ruined noise. Blood sluiced between his fingers and Neo grinned at him as she clamored free from his prying grasp. She might've lost her weapon but she was going to make him _pay _for every inch he gained in this fight. With a slow, sauntering step, she both found and reached down to reclaim her weapon once more. The madman glared at her as she sketched a saucy little bow.

_"You little bitch!"_

This time there was no mercy when Tyrian flew at her. Too fast. Far faster than he should have been. Strong arms tore at her, knocked her down again, carving a deep red gash in her right thigh. She saw the mad glint in his eyes and fought all the harder for it, thrashing and flailing like a wildcat. When that failed she reared back and spat in his face.

"How rude!" he merely laughed at her, holdin gher down. Finally, a reaction, albeit not the one she'd wanted. "Oh, well!" A cruel grin splint his face from ear to ear. "I suppose I'll just have to teach you some manners then._..by carving them into you!"_

She flung up her arms and clawed at his face, to no avail.

Ripping and tearing, hacking and swearing, he savaged her aura with everything he had; it was all she could do to defend herself. She'd never hated someone so much. Not the Fire Bitch, not Salem, not even Little Red herself garnered this much spite in her heart.

His gun unloaded into her stomach and her Aura shattered. Tyrian kept firing, filling her belly with lead.

Neo couldn't speak, but she could still gasp as blood flooded her mouth. She staggered, stumbled, fell to her knees.

"Sorry, does it hurt?" the madman cackled as he loomed over her. "Looks like it does."

Neo gurgled wordlessly, thoughts in disarray. No. Not like this. She couldn't...!

Sneering, he arced his tail back. "Any last words?"

_"I can think of one."_

A pale hand flew out of the dark, seized Tyrian by the back of his braid, and yanked like a crane, ripping the feral faunus from his feet. Now it was Tyrian's turn to shriek in pain as he found himself hauled through the air, and more importantly, away from Neo. Through bloodshot eyes, the dying girl glimpsed Naruto's bloodied visage; saw the snarling sapphire orb clenched his off hand.

He smashed it against Tyrian's chest. _"Die."_

Borne away by the Rasengan, he crashed back into the woods and was soon lost from view.

"Sorry, did that hurt?" the whiskered warrior croaked into the silence, voice harsh and mocking. "Looks like it did."

Then he turned to Neo. Saw her wounds.

"You're alright, little bird." the sage muttered the words softly, little more than a whisper as he knelt and laid a hand on her ruined stomach. "You're going to be alright."

Was she? It felt like she was dying.

"No! You're not going to die. I won't allow it. I refuse to let you die here." as though reading her very thoughts, he snarled and pressed another hand to hers. "Just...give me a moment. Hold still, now." he coughed, a deep rattling thing that seemed to shake his entire body. "You'll be right as rain once I'm done."

She frowned back at him and raised a trembling finger.

"Bad girl." Naruto clucked, shaking his head. "Where's your faith?"

Neo sucked in a sharp breath as a sudden surge of _vitality _surged through her ruined body; burgeoned by that otherworldly life-force, time seemed to flow in reverse. Her wounds didn't so much close as they did cease to exist altogether. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water on her and she shivered as she bounded upright.

Only then did she truly see her savior. Yikes. Blondie had seen better days.

Raven had hacked off one of his left ears and left a deep cut across his chest. Neither were healing. She assumed that fancy new sword of hers- the Relic of Destruction!- was likely to blame for both. He was fighting a war on three fronts, one with Raven, another with Tyrian, and a third against the very monster within his very body. He was being burned up by it. Consumed. The more power he used, the worse it became. Like a_ paper mache_ flame thrower, so too was he tearing himself apart.

Neo poked his arm.

"M' fine." he slurred the words drunkenly. Nope. Not fine. Not at all.

Mangled laughter rose to meet her thoughts. "Fools! I am blessed by my goddess! You cannot kill me!"

Naruto blew out a soft, angry breath. Neo pushed herself up under his arm, helped him to his feet, and together, they turned to face Tyrian.

For it was Tyrian who staggered forward out of the dark, Tyrian, whose body hunched and twisted at an unnatural angle. Tyrian, looking every bit the madman he was. Even scorched and scarred as he was, still he came forward. Neo's stomach revolted at what she saw there. Violently. Did he not feel pain? Those wounds were horrid. He was missing an arm. Yet still he staggered toward them, crazed as ever, unafraid. What kind of faith did he have that made him this determined? Just what was he? Something in her shrank away from his demented giggle.

"Is that so?" Naruto stepped forward and Neo glimpsed the streaks of white spreading through his blond mane. "Let's test that, shall we?"

He was losing himself. If that _thing _got out, everyone was going to have a bad time.

When he stepped forward, Raven leaped out of a portal to cut him off.

"Finally saw through my clone did you?"

_"Trickster."_

"If you say so." Naruto grinned. It was a cold, cruel smile that didn't belong to him. "Playtime is over, children. Salem's sent you to your deaths."

"Heresy! Lies! Tricks!" Tyrian all but frothed at the mouth. "The power of Salem protects me, false god!"

"Salem?" blue eyes burned white. "She's no god. I'll de**vour her once this is done."**

Oh, dear. That sounded entirely too much like Kaguya.

_"NEVER!"_

Unfortunately the insult worked a little too well; Tyrian _howled_ past her and flung himself at Naruto, who turned and drove a crushing boot into the madman's chest. Even then, Tyrian Callows didn't die. He simply tumbled with the blow and lashed out, burying his metallic stinger deep in the blond's ribs. Anyone else would have dropped on the spot.

Naruto merely grunted.

Heedless of the venom in his veins, the blond turned and flung the faunus against a tree. Another bloodied boot crunched against his ribs, ripped an arm free, and sent him slamming through the bark to dig a deep furrow against the earth. In the same moment the Branwen woman dove at him, sword at the ready. Neo launched herself at her in a moment of wild recklessness, knowing she stood no chance. She didn't have to. Raven looked away -at her!- for only a moment, but a moment was all Naruto needed.

He tore a bloody trench in her face for it and hurled her away, fingers flicking through strange motions as she flew.

Now to be fair, Neo couldn't rightly understand the language he spoke, nor the shape of his hands just then, but she couldn't deny the result. Because a pillar of earth absolutely _erupted _under the Spring Maiden and cannoned into her chest. Neo grinned at the vicious crack of bone as Raven hurtled away into the darkness. Good. She hoped he'd broken something important. She hoped it hurt. Judging by the shriek that followed, it certainly did.

"Go." Naruto forced the word out through gritted teeth, drawing an exasperated look from her. "They're not going to stop. Get the others out of here."

Neo stomped her heels and shook her head. Leave him? Like this? No! Never! He'd die! And if he was dead, no one could bring Roman back. She wanted Roman. Needed Roman. Without him...!

Blue eyes blazed white.

**"GO!"**

Was it just her, or had the ground vibrated just now? Self-preservation won over greed. Nope. Nope nope nope. Not dealing with this. Blondie wanted her to get?

_Neo got._

Abruptly she paused, spun back and kissed his cheek, then grabbed his face for good measure. Mismatching eyes bored into flickering blue as she pinched his whiskered visage. Though she lacked the words to speak, her glare conveyed all the meaning she needed. She knew a suicidal fool when she saw one. This...well...his look wasn't that, but it was close. Dangerously so. She didn't like it. She wanted to slap it out of him.

"I'm not going to die." his smile wasn't a lie, but neither could it be called a truth. "I'll just be...away for awhile. Look after them, will you?"

She flung herself away into the darkness with a huff. Only then did Naruto sink to a knee.

In that moment, he let go.

"Well, I really stepped in this time...

"Any last requests, false god?" Tyrian crept in.

A slow, shuddering breath greeted his arrogance. "...ay."

The faunus tilted his head and leaned closer. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

The dead man grinned up at him; but that didn't make any sense. Dead man told no tales. Dead man didn't move. Dead men certainly didn't grin when they were pumped full of poison.

"I said...I have a request." Naruto croaked, wiping a thin line of blood from his jaw. "Yes, there is one thing you can do for **me...**

A fist shot out and caught the man's stinger before he could strike, and slammed its owner to the ground in a single seamless movement.

Raven lunged at him from a nearby portal and the blond backhanded her through a tree with nary a backward glance. He didn't care for her, he'd chosen his victim and there would be no escape.

**...pray."** a dark shadow loomed over Tyrian as a boot came down on his back. The faunus growled and tried to wriggle loose, tried to flee, tried to scurry away even as it crushed down on his spine, but he couldn't. There was no escape here; because the bastard still had hold of his tail.** "That's just about the only thing you can do while you're still alive, Tyrian."** there was something wrong with his voice, as if another were speaking with him, through him. Odd. Concerning at the very least...wait. Why were his eyes white? Why was he laughing? Why-gack?!

Twin horns sprouted from his head with a sickening crack as tan flesh turned pale.

**"Ahhh, and there it is. The fear. I'd almost forgotten what it smelled like. No, no, no, don't pray to me." **he drawled, at last seeing his bowel-loosening terror. **"I won't be listening."** that shaggy blond hair seemed to burn white as he stepped back into the shadows, dragging the struggling Faunus with him. **"No, I want you to** **pray to your goddess. Pray to Salem. Call for her. Beg. Plead. Squeal for her to save you. You have ten seconds."**

The sounds that came forth from the dark after that...no creature should have made those sounds.

Raven heard them all.

And with each passing second, her heart plummeted.

What had she done? What had she unleashed? What was this creature? She hadn't been told about this! No one had warned her!

Then said creature turned on Raven, and her fear bloomed into mind-numbing terror. She couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't even begin to breathe.

**"A fascinating sword."** the being within Naruto's body hummed as it gazed at the weapon clutched white-knuckled in her hand. **"I think I'll keep it once I've killed you."**

She blinked, and Raven's right arm ceased to be. It did not fall from her shoulder; it simply ceased to exist altogether. Were it not for the blood, the pain, or the Relic of Destruction even now tumbling from her nerveless fingers, she would've thought it never existed at all. She skittered backward and that..._thing_ followed after her with slow, gliding steps.

**"I finally understand."** the goddess hummed, lifting a hand to her lips to conceal the smile spreading there. **"Thank you. I made the mistake of treating you people like...people. But now I know better. You're not people."** She snapped her fingers and Raven fought down a flinch. **"You're madmen. Monsters. Animals. Criminals and cravens and cowards who want to drag the world under for their own gain. But I...I understand what the world wants."**

Raven cried out and tried to crawl away; the goddess merely grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back.

**"This world needs people in charge who are willing to put animals like you down."** she continued, holding her aloft. **"That's right. I've finally bought what you've been selling. Isn't that wonderful?**

"I...no...I didn't mean to...

**"How does it feel, child of man?"** Kaguya purred, pale fingers trailing over her face.** "How does it feel to be deconstructed?"** she tilted her head back, fingers gliding across her throat. **"To be the victim? To watch your dreams wither and die? By all means, tell me. Let me savor your final moments."**

Raven never had a chance to answer.

Even as she struggled to form the words, someone struck her.

She never had the final blow.

Even as Raven stumbled away, she failed to see the shadow descend on her from above. By the time she noticed, it was too late.

The sword took Raven from behind, piercing her low in the back to rip through her rips and find her lungs. With an awful wrench, it drove upward to reach the wounded Maiden's heart. It was a quick death. A painless one, far better than what Kaguya would've granted her. She couldn't look away, couldn't turn her thoughts away. She could only turn her head back and gaze into the eyes of her killer.

_"You should've watched your back."_

Cinder Fall gazed serenely down at her, a cold smile on her lips.

Then she ripped her blade fee and Raven Branwen knew only oblivion.

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS. ****Else, you might be horribly confused. Wouldn't want that, would we?"**

**I'm sorry, Raven. ****It killed me to do this to the poor birdie; though she's one of my favorite characters to write in RWBY, she was never going to survive this fight. Simply put, without outside factors, Raven is not a good person. She's cold, cruel, willing to betray everyone around her at the drop of the hat, and paranoid beyond belief. It takes a lot to break through to someone like that, and you'd have to get to her early on to do so. Though we saw Yang get through to her in canon, Raven still fled the moment she could.**

**Simply put, there was simply no feasible way to save Raven in this story. She was always destined to die here, and ugh, it hurts admitting that. **

**But in death, she death served one final purpose. Cinder's back baby! If not quite the Maiden she wanted to be.**

**Will this satisfy her? That's the question, isn't it? She's thrown her lot in with Naruto, but...**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!  
**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY!  
**_

_**YE BE WARNED!**_

**Read at your own risk!**

**(Preview)**

Kaguya stood among the ashes, eyes wide and blinking. And the goddess laughed.

_SLAP._

_Kaguya's head snapped backward as Cinder's palm cracked across the god's face. _

_Pale eyes narrowed to hooded slits. "You dare?"_

_Cinder wanted to weep. Instead she slapped her again. She knew she stood no chance against this creature. Raven had been stronger than her, armed with a Relic, and she'd still lost._

_"Give him back."_

_"I think not. He's lost to you._

_Her face twitched, but she mastered it._

_"He's not, is he?" a cruel smile bloomed upon her lips. "You're lying."_

**R&R~!**


	8. Embers Extinguished

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

** *EDIT***

**BEHOLD THE TROLLS!**

**Do you guys really want to make me cry?**

**Look at the bloody reviews for this story if you don't believe me. They're all over this chapter.**

**WHY THE HELL AM I DOING THIS IF PEOPLE JUST KEEP CHANTING "DIE" AT ME OVER AND OVER AGAIN?!**

**Pardon me engrish, I'm currently hopped up on painkillers and resting comfortably. Surgery went well with only minor complications, and I'd rather not speak anymore of it. Stupid cyst! At least its gone now, so that's one less thing to worry about. ****Also, the bastards who hoped that I would die during said surgery? Hope you have a nice day. -_-**

**This chapter was a monster to write, but I'm finally satisfied with it.**

**To quote Opzin:**

_"The single quality that is common across every living creature on this planet, is fear."_

**And this chapter is about Fear.**

**Kaguya's broken free. If that's not fear, I don't know what is.**

**I...don't enjoy writing darker stories, but there's no denying that this particular chapter veers into that territory. Still, character growth is often painful, and Cinder's arc reaches a peak here. We've spent the last few chapters watching her change. Now let's see if she keeps those changes or casts them all aside.**

**Congratulations, Cinder. You're the Spring Maiden now.**

**Is that enough for you, I wonder? Or do you still want more power?**

**One last note. Yes, Cinder _can_ spit fire. We saw her do it near the end of Volume Seven.**

_"My dear girl, you cannot hide from my eyes. I see you for what you are. You're a child, Cinder. A lonely, wretched, miserable little child. One keening not for power and prestige as you'd have others think...but love and oh, yes, attention. You don't want power. Not really. Not anymore. You want a family. You want to be loved. Even now you secretly pine for the affection of a man who's forgotten what love even feels like. Will he cry if I bring him your head, I wonder? Will he weep? Will he wail? Will he break? Or will he-_

**_"SILENCE!"_**

_~Kaguya and Cinder._

**Embers Extinguished**

_"Raven!"_

Ozpin jolted awake in the dead of night with a ragged gasp; heart hamming, skin soaked in sweat. A curse leaped from his lips as he fought free from the dream. No. Not a dream. _Nightmare._ His mind bleated in fear and anguish and his chest ached in the worst of ways. When he looked down, there was no wound to be had. But he'd seen it all the same. Felt it. _Lived every moment._ He'd seen the blade pierce through her back. Hard the gasp that followed. He'd seen vicious glowing eyes like poisoned honey, burning with flame. And he knew it was no dream.

The Spring Maiden was dead. Slain, at the hands of Cinder Fall.

_"What's happening?" _Oscar flailed in his mind._ "Ozpin? What was that?!"_

Wrapped up in his moment of panic, the immortal ignored Oscar's frantic pleas.

Young hands flailed in the dark for an enemy that wasn't there. Sweaty palms scrabbled at thin sheets and flung them away as he lurched out of bed to land nimbly on his feet. Rather, he would have, had Oscar's body not failed him. Not yet accustomed to such rapid movements, he tripped and smashed his skull against an ill-placed dresser. Stars burst before his vision as the world burned a ghastly shade of red. Aura flared and pain blazed through his forehead. Ironically, this proved just the jolt he needed; for the sudden jolt served to clear head and banish that brief beat of bestial panic.

_"Urrgh..._

It also left him stunned on the floor, eyes spinning.

"Huh?" Qrow's bleary voice called in the dark. "Whuzzat? Oz? You alright?"

No. No, no, no. He couldn't tell him. Not here. Not now. Everything would fly apart.

"I'm fine, Qrow." Ozpin groaned, clutching his head. "Just fell out of bed. Go back to sleep."

Ozpin waited until he was certain his old friend had done just that. Only then did he dare to drag himself upright.

He didn't want to wake the others. Doing so would only panic them, or worse, terrify them. He daren't tell them what he'd seen in his dreams. This was his secret to keep. It was better this way. Revealing the truth would only imperil those under his care. Even telling Qrow brought an inherent risk. The truth would send him howling after Raven's killer; anyone who could murder a Maiden would make short work of him. Worse, if that truly was Cinder he'd seen_...well._ The implications were less than pleasant.

Cinder was dead. She _had_ to be, else Ruby wouldn't have inherited her power. Yet he'd clearly seen that vicious woman ram her blade _through_ Raven's back.

Impossible as it might seem, the madwoman had defied death. She'd be just as powerful as before, if not moreso. Spring had ever been the greatest of the four seasons and somehow, he doubted Fate would be so kind as to bestow Raven's powers onto Yang.

He knew what was coming. They'd have to up Ruby's training.

Grasping for his cane in the dark, the former Headmaster of Beacon found it and paced to the window. He flung it open and saw the storm raging in the distance. Scowled. It had been such a peaceful evening, too. Ruby's training had been progressing at a decent pace, and Salem had been silent for some time now. She'd been bested at Haven, her agents routed and forced to lick their wounds. He'd dared to think they were safe because of that. He'd been a fool. Now the darkness felt heavy, thick and cloying, like a dense fog, clouding his vision.

_"Ozpin?"_ This time there could no denying Oscar's worry. He bleated in the back of his head like a frightened animal. _"Are we...?"_

"Peace, Oscar." he murmured. "We're not in any danger at this time. That was merely a vision."

_...someone died, didn't they?"_

He couldn't lie to him.

"Yes, Oscar." Ozpin sighed. "Yes, someone did."

He'd made the Maidens. Their magic was his own, a gift he'd granted them in a bygone age, a time when he'd been...more than this. So much more. Still, the power that he'd parted with remained a part of him. He could sense when they used their gifts, no matter the distance. He knew when they passed on. Often it would be through old age, but sometimes...sometimes their end was sharper. More sudden. What he'd felt just now -what he'd seen!- was more akin to a knife in his back than anything else. He knew this feeling all too well. In the room adjacent to their own, he heard little miss Rose sob softly in her sleep.

Poor girl. As the Fall Maiden, she'd sensed it, too.

There was nothing he could do for her.

_Raven was dead._

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Ruby wept softly in her sleep.

"Jeez, sis. What kind of nightmare are you having..?"

Yang sighed and tucked her little sister just a bit closer in bed, curling her body around the smaller girl in a vain attempt to comfort her. Or protect her, from whatever she was seeing. It had to be something nasty, if she wasn't waking up. Poor thing was latched onto her like a limpet and holding on for dear life.

"Hey," she whispered and ran a hand over her sister's head, doing her best to soothe her fears. "You're okay. You're safe. You're here, with us."

Ruby whimpered, but slowly, gradually, her cries quieted. Yang turned her head and risked another glance outside.

She could see the storm in the distance from her window, far enough not to be a threat to Haven, yet still audible and visible all the same. Fingers of forlorn lightning lanced through the dark sky. Great purple bolts split the heavens above. Around them. the cloud seem to writhe and whirl as she gazed on, twisting and snarling in impossible places. Almost as if someone were actively controlling them, bending the very heavens to their will. A few months ago, she would have dismissed such a sight out of hand. Now she knew better.

Only a Maiden could do that.

Was Raven out there, somewhere? Was she fighting someone?

A sudden breeze brushed Yang's cheek, invisible fingers caressing her visage as it threaded through her golden hair. She frowned and shook her head, batting the strange feeling away. Stupid window. Why did she leave the damn ting open? She felt cold. Why was she so damn cold? Her thoughts twisted uncomfortably and in a fit of pique she stomped them down...

_"She's coming."_

...until she heard the voice.

Yang looked left.

Yang looked right.

Yang found nothing.

Weiss and Blake were still sound asleep in their cots. Ruby made not a peep against her. So who the devil was talking to her?

_"I'm sorry, Yang. Be better than I was."_

At first she thought it was just her mind playing tricks on her, or an overactive imagination; these words were little more than a whisper on the wind, so soft that she had to strain her ears just to hear them. But she _did _hear them. Try though she might to ignore it, a cold, awful feeling tore at her chest and a pit opened in her stomach. Because this time, she'd _recognized_ those words, and the voice behind it. Harsh, bitter tears sprang to her eyes, accompanied by a pang of dread. A lone word leaped to her lips.

"Mom...?"

_This time, the darkness didn't answer her._

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Arthur Watts preened proudly as he watched the world burn around him.

Some might call him cruel for this. Perhaps he was. Salem's plan had been quite inspired, as hers most often were.

Her instructions were clear. She'd told him to divide and conquer today, and so he had. Now there were none left to oppose them.

Mercury was a helpless mess at their feet without use of his legs, unable to anything more than glower at him. Emerald stood paralyzed by indecision, dithering helplessly on the sidelines as she waited for her mistress to make her decision. Cinder herself was fixed firmly in his sights, face stony as she watched the village vanished under a tide of Grimm. Its leader and purported God -utter nonsense!- was too preoccupied by Raven and the Relic of Destruction to intervene on their behalf, while that meddling little imp of his was occupied with Tyrian. There was no need for Watts to dirty his hands here. He'd leave that to the coward and the madman.

And so he watched everything fall apart.

"So uncivilized." he sighed, listening to their screams. "Wouldn't you agree, Cinder?"

She didn't respond. A pity, but not unexpected. She'd likely had some aim here, and now that they'd ruined it, she was sulking.

Cinder would never fall prey to sentiment; which meant she would never betray Salem. Their queen was eternal. Immortal. Why, he dare say she was inevitable. No matter how you sliced it, hers was clearly the winning side in this war. This "Naruto" fellow had been foolish indeed to poke his nose where matters didn't belong. Now he would pay with his life.

Yes, all variables were accounted for.

Hazel's absence was...troubling to be sure, but if he'd turn traitor they'd deal with him eventually. Watts rather looked forward to it. He'd never gotten on with that brute. Too sentimental. Too soft. Always trying to spare lives, never willing to go the extra mile. His vendetta lay with Ozpin, and no one else. If he'd lost sight of that, then perhaps it was time they put him out to pasture with the rest.

He was still watching Cinder like a hawk when the world shook and the skies darkened overhead.

**"FINALLY!"**

A voice like thunder rattled the ground, followed by a shrill scream. The flash of light that followed was almost blinding to behold in the night; he found himself forced to raise an arm and guard his gaze against it. Laughter followed, and it was not the laughter of a man, but a woman. It didn't belong to anyone he knew. A cold shiver stole over him, but he mastered himself, shook his head, and turned his gaze back to Cinder.

Watts frowned in mild irritation. "What the devil was that?"

"Nothing to concern yourself with." Wait. That didn't _sound_ like Cinder.

Some sixth sense warned him at the last moment. Or perhaps it was the breeze.

_"What're you-_

Regardless, he wasn't quick enough.

A blade bit through Aura and slammed into his back, causing his eyes to bulge. Cold steel slid through his ribs to scrape bone and a choked breath tore itself past his lips as he arched his back. His mustache twitched as he stared down at the crimson stain even now spreading across his jacket. How?! When?! He hadn't even heard them coming! Twitching, he craned his neck back to gaze upon his attacker.

Neo granted him a feral grin.

"Why you little cretin!" A snarl leaped from his lips. "I'll have your head!"

Watts tried to turn as she ripped her weapon free, tried to fight back, _tried_ to bring his revolver to bear, but the little devil anticipated him. Even as he drew, Neo danced forward, her blade lancing into his guard to find his wrist. It was a clean cut. He barely felt it...at first. Then came the pain. It blinded him to all else, leaving his gun to tumble free from nerveless fingers as he roared in pain. _Someone else_ swept in and hamstrung him from behind, sweeping a naked edge against the back of his ankles to send him stumbling forward.

And so did Arthur Watts, great genius that he was, crumple to the ground with nary a sound.

"Cinder, you fool!" he cried! "Control your minions before they kill me!"

Frantic, he turned his head, searching for aid. There was none to be had. "Cinder" waved at him and vanished before his very eyes like a desert mirage. She wasn't there. Perhaps she never had been. Ah. So that's how it was. He understood what happened now. He'd been deceived. Emerald hadn't stood there without reason; she'd had him under her Semblance the entire time. Was this what defeat felt like? To think he'd almost forgotten this bitter taste of it.

Someone filched the remote from his coat pocket as he bled out, wasted and gasping for air.

"Don't mind me." Emerald's voice hummed in his ear. "I'll just be borrowing this."

Not a moment later, an ominous click rose in his ears.

_Oh, dear._

The good doctor had a fleeting moment to realize his blunder before a shadow fell over him. Without that device locking down Mercury's metal legs, that mouthy brat would be free to move as he pleased. Sure enough, a heavy heel came down on one of legs, producing a horrible crack. He cried out, and the boot stomped down harder.

"Don't worry, Watts." Emerald flicked her weapon away. "We'll keep you alive. We still need a sacrifice for Neo. Don't we?"

The little hellion nodded sagely.

Watts croaked out a gasp. "Sacrifice...?"

They didn't deign to answer that question.

Mercury sneered down at him all too happily._ "Nighty night, doc."_

An iron boot snapped into Arthur's chin and sent a tooth whistling into the air.

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_Spring._

It sang through Cinder's veins like a nameless song she couldn't quite place; surging and swirling in her body with all the force and fame of its name. It was strength. It was power. It stole very her breath away. And what a breath it was! She felt complete again. Whole. As if a missing piece of her soul had slotted back into place. For if Fall was death, then Spring was rebirth. _Her_ rebirth. New life and strength and power! Raven's death had granted her wings here and now, and she used them to rise from the ashes of her former self like a great phoenix reborn.

A triumphant shout tore from her throat as she cried her victory to the world. _**"FINALLY!"**_

On a whim the new Maiden spread her arms on either side of her body and raised them into the sky. Her new powers responded easily, eager to please. A great gale tugged her form into the air and held her aloft as her eyes burned afresh with crimson flames. She could see them in her mind's eye, like tongues of scarlet fire licking at the edges of her vision. The dark curtain of her hair found itself burgeoned by the storm engulfing her, fanning out over her shoulders in a rich ebony curtain. She gazed down at her hands and grinned, a bright and euphoric smile stretching across her face.

_Gods, she'd missed this feeling._

Fire flickered at her fingertips, burning hungrily in her palms. Lightning rippled through dark clouds above her head, echoed by a fresh peal of thunder. An almighty gale keened through the air when she waved her hand through the night. Even the very earth trembled beneath her will. _This._ This was the power of the Spring Maiden. No wonder she'd lost to Raven. Maidens grew stronger as they came to realize their powers. And this? It wasn't the power of a fully-realized Maiden, but it was close, very close indeed. Made her Fall powers look paltry by comparison.

When the first fitful raindrops came, Cinder threw her head back and gloried in them.

Here at last, she had control. And so much more. Perhaps she owed some of that to him. Perhaps her training truly _had_ made her stronger, perhaps her time without the Maiden powers made her appreciate them all the more. Perhaps she was simply more attuned to the power of Spring. Regardless, she felt stronger now than she'd ever been.

Vengeance was hers. And soon, very soon, she would have it again.

_"You'll regret this."_ a familiar, sullen voice whispered in the back of her head._ "That power is a curse."_

Aha, and there she was. Raven's Aura, or rather the last dregs of it, were fused with the might of the Spring Maiden, and now her own. Aura was the soul after all, and naturally with those dregs came some portion of the woman's memories and emotions. Some semblance of her very self. Her strength. Her Fear. Her arrogance. Her cowardice. Her pride. Team STRQ. A girl with Silver Eyes. And there, beneath it all, an irritating fondness for a mouthy girl_. For her daughter._ These treacherous feelings threatened to swallow her victory, to whisper doubts in her ear. Cinder shoved them into the back of her mind before they could take root deep in her heart.

"Says the dead woman." Cinder scoffed instead, smile shrinking as her joy turned sour. "Can't you rest in peace?"

_"You know I'm right. You'll be hunted for this."_

"Then I'll reclaim what is mine and become stronger still. " the new Maiden huffed. "Haven is close by, no?"

A jolt of fear snapped through her, fear that wasn't hers. _"Stay away from Yang and Ruby!"_

"Calm yourself. I have no interest in your daughter. But I _will_ have what is mine."

Hrmph. More whispers from a dead woman. Cinder ignored them. They meant nothing. She'd expected as much, even experienced it once before, when she truly became the Fall Maiden. Amber had haunted her for _days_ after the Battle of Beacon. Raven's nattering would prove short-lived. She would fade, in time. All things faded. All things died.

_All Things Must Die._

But here, in this moment, Cinder felt immortal. Invincible.

A peal of delighted laughter echoed over her shoulder and stole such thoughts away.

With a supreme effort of will, the Spring Maiden lowered herself to the earth. So lost had she been in her shining moment of glory, that she'd all but forgotten her surroundings. A dull pang of dread bloomed in her bosom as the laughter redoubled, taking on a wild, almost manic note. It had been freeing to lose herself in her new powers, but now she regretted doing so.

_Because she'd forgotten about Kaguya._

Only an stone's throw to the east, the mad goddess stood tall among the burning trees, gazing at pale, bloodied hands with rapturous glee. She didn't even seem to notice Raven's corpse at her feet, nor that her kill had clearly stolen her kill. If she did, she certainly didn't show it. Cinder gazed stood among the burning forest, eyes wide and unblinking as wild shadows danced across her face

And the goddess laughed.

"How...wonderful." she purred with the voice of a thousand angels as flexed her fingers. "I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to breathe again. To be whole."

She flicked her gaze to Tyrian's corpse...no, not a corpse, Cinder realized with faint horror. Somehow the maimed madman was _still moving,_ frantically trying to crawl away using nothing but his chin. Like some deranged inchworm. Without his arms and two broken legs besides, he wasn't much of a threat. He'd been so proud before. Now he was a shadow of his former self. She almost pitied him.

Kaguya did not.

"My, my, my!" she sauntered after the faunus with slow steps. "Still alive are we?"

"No!" Terror writ itself across Tyrian's face as he redoubled his efforts. "Please! Have mercy!"

"My dear boy," The Rabbit Goddess shook her head slowly, as though lecturing a naughty child. _"There is no mercy."_

Cinder turned away before she could witness his final fate.

_This _was the monster Naruto had warned her of? She found herself torn, caught between the desire to stand and fight and then the urge_ -Raven's instincts be damned!-_ to retreat into the shadows while the goddess was distracted with her victim. In another lifetime, she would've challenged her outright without hesitation. But she'd learned. Appearances could be deceiving. This woman had hijacked his body and used it to pick Tyrian and Raven apart like schoolyard bullies. Still, she didn't look _that_ tough. Odd to be sure, but she almost felt she could take this woman -this parasite!- with her powers.

A gleam of metal caught her gaze in the flames.

There, before her very eyes, the Relic of Destruction lay some yards away, forgotten in the chaos as Kaguya preened over herself. Cinder gazed at the sword longingly. In another lifetime she would've wanted it solely for the power it presented her. Now, she gazed at it for another reason. This was a tool of the the Gods. A weapon forged for one purpose, and one purpose alone. Surely that would make all the difference. Perhaps she could even use it to destroy Kaguya without risking the body she inhabited.

Her heel inched forward.

Kaguya was busy tormenting Tyrian; and that meant she wasn't looking her way. She could do this. Snatch the Relic up, get the drop on her, drive the blade into the beast's blackened heart. She just had to be quick about it. _Very_ quick. She'd seen how agile the woman could be. A mistake might well cost her life.

_"You'll never make it!"_ Raven's voice hissed._ "She'll get you!"_

"Quiet, coward."

Flames burst from her palms and flung her forward.

All the world turned to a blur of burning wood and ruined ground. Cinder ignored it all, her gaze focused on a single point. If she still had her Grimm arm, this would've been a simple matter of stretching it out to claim the Relic from afar. Instead she had to get close and that brought risks of its own. Still, Cinder was certain she'd make it. She closed the distance in an instant.

She stretched her hand out, fingertips brushing the hilt.

_'Got you!'_

A pale hand closed around her wrist and wrenched it away with a painful crack.

Cinder cried out as the bones of her wrist ground together, pinching nearly every nerve in her right arm. Horrible white eyes dominated her vision and despite her best efforts, she found herself recoiling. It was the smile that did it, not Kaguya's sudden proximity. What kind of speed was that?! She hadn't seen her move. Tyrian wasn't making anymore noise, and she could only assume he was dead or dying. That left her alone and far, far too close to an angry goddess.

"You must be Cinder." Kaguya cooed. "Its so nice to finally meet you, face to face."

She didn't _sound_ happy. Not at all.

...the pleasure is mine."

"Snarky little thing, aren't you." the grip on her wrist turned agonizing, bones fracturing under the goddess's grip. It was all she could do not to scream. "Such a pretty face. I can see why he's so sweet on you."

Her eyes drifted to the Relic, just out of reach.

"I am almost tempted to _let_ you take it." Kaguya's dulcet tones purred in her ear as she drew her closer still, "If only to see you suffer." Those cold, bleak eyes seemed to break through to her very soul as she spoke, "To watch your fear overcome you, destroy you...see it corrupt your heart...and drive you mad."

Pale eyes narrowed.

_"But I think not."_

She seized the sword by the hilt and cast it away into the burning wood, sending it skittering out of sight.

"That's better." she hummed. "Now, then-

_SLAP._

Kaguya's head snapped backward as Cinder's palm cracked across her face.

Pale eyes narrowed to hooded slits. "You _dare?"_

Cinder wanted to weep, and not just from the pain. Instead she slapped her again, snapping the woman's head to the one side. Fool. She'd been a fool. She thought she had a chance. What had she been thinking?! She knew she stood no chance against this creature. Raven had been so much stronger than her, armed with a Relic and help, and she'd still lost. She might be able to fight. Perhaps even Her one one was to wake Naruto up, snap him out of whatever trance he'd fallen into, and leave this to him.

"Give him back!"

"I think not." Kaguya caught her wrist and wrenched it down. "He's lost to you."

Her face twitched, but she mastered it. Pale eyes blazed blue for the merest of moments.

Cinder pounced on it like a cat. "He's not, is he?" a cruel smile bloomed upon her lips. "You're lying."

Kaguya gazed back at her with those milky white orbs and smiled.

Then that smile turned cruel.

_"Kneel."_

Cinder bristled. "I beg your pardon?"

"Are you deaf, child? I am your goddess. I told you to _kneel."_

Compulsion struck the Spring Maiden like a physical force and her legs buckled beneath her. She nearly bent the knee then and there and it was only through sheer fury that she managed to resist the command at all. This was the creature Naruto had dedicate his life to seal._ This._ This was a living Goddess. Salem was nothing compared to this.

"And still you resist." Kaguya chided her, striding forward to seize her by the chin. "You, who are naught but a child compared to my might?! You dare to strike _me?!"_

Cinder's arm swung back and Kaguya casually caught it with her free hand.

_She pulled._

Cinder grit her teeth as something popped in her shoulder and her arm fell slack. Her vision went black for a moment. Then came the pain. A soundless shriek tore past her lips, only to find itself muffled against a palm as the Rabbit Goddess reached down again to grabbed her by the face one more.

"I could kill with a flick of my wrist." she snarled, wrenching her head aside. "Unmake you a dozen different ways. Rip your very soul from your benighted corpse!"

"Then what's stopping you?"

She expected another outburst. What she received instead was chilling.

"What indeed? But there are worse things than death." Kaguya took that pale hand away from her mouth and used it to cup her chin instead, pale thumb running over her face. "I could strip that precious power from you, you know. Cast you down," and here her smile turned most vicious indeed, "Make you the little girl you truly are on the inside. Or perhaps I could break you and turn you into a slave. Would you like that?"

Cinder twitched, but didn't dignify her with a response.

"There it is. _There's_ the fear." And still Kaguya continued, peering into the depths of her heart as though she were an open book. "You cannot hide from my eyes. I see you for what you are. You're a child, Cinder. A lonely, wretched, miserable little child. One longing not for wealth or prestige as you'd have others think...but attention, and...oh!" her grin stretched further still. "What's this? You don't want power." she tilted her head, seeming to consider her in a new light. "Not really. Not anymore." her eyes lit as they saw into the darkest corner of her being. "You want a...family."

Cinder stiffened. "Nonsense."

_"You want to be loved!" _Kaguya crooned in delighted disbelief, laughing over her denial. "Even now you secretly pine for the affection of a man who's forgotten what love even feels like!" A sneer overtook her fine features, warping them into something hideous. "How precious! How sweet! You, the monster, the murder, actually want to have chil-

_**"SILENCE!"**_

Cinder's head snapped up and her eyes burned with fresh flame, the intensity was that her gaze momentarily turned red. That was all the warning Kaguya had before her victim screamed; that, and the faint light burning in the back of her throat. She frowned at it for a moment, not quite comprehending what it was.

_It was fire._

Cinder spat a wave of vicious napalm right in her face and the Rabbit Goddess toppled backward with nary a sound.

Popping her shoulder back into place, the Spring Maiden stood and leaped back to gain some distance. Then she thrust both hands forward and showered Kaguya's still form with a wave of fresh flame. Her power restored and more, she flung it all at the false goddess with a shriek.

"You think you know me?!" she howled! "You! Know! Nothing! Each word brought a fresh volley of fire to bear upon her. Each blast rattled the ground itself, scorching heaven and earth alike. "Nothing of what I've seen, what I've been through! You have_ no right_ to look through my thoughts-

"My dear," Kaguya walked right through the fire and the flames to stand before her, untouched. "Has this _ever_ worked?"

Cinder felt her jaw click open.

A contemptuous backhand cracked across her face and snapped it shut. The sheer impact ripped her free from the ground and sent her skidding down the lane like a squirrel in a hurricane.

Kaguya loped after her almost lazily.

"He cares for you, you know." the Rabbit Goddess mocked as she stumbled upright. "Well, in as much as he _can_ care about anything these days." she spoke the words with relish, savoring every second of torment on her face as she drew near. "I wonder how he'll react when I bring him your head. Will he break, I wonder? Will he weep? Will he wail?"

"The only one crying here is**_...you!"_**

Cinder whirled, summoned a pair of blades to her hands, and flung herself at the self-proclaimed deity. Kaguya met her all too happily.

They raged back and forth like a pair of demons, whirling and striking, slashing and cutting in a mad melee of hellish proportions.

It wasn't enough.

She soon realized that her skills with the blade meant nothing to Kaguya; it was like trying to fight a hurricane with sticks. You couldn't. Kaguya didn't need a blade to match her. She used her bare hands and her hair -that was just cheating!- to ward her off time and time again. And that was to say nothing of the woman's offense. Every block left Cinder's bones creaking angrily, and what blows she did land meant next to nothing for her foe; every injury healed nearly instantly.

So she drew back and turned a hand to the heavens.

Fresh power surged through her and a torrent of lighting fell from the skies to strike Kaguya dead in the chest.

Here at last, the Rabbit Goddess gasped in surprise. Cinder felt a brief flare of pride deep in her chest as she watched the woman squirm. Dirty and disheveled she might well be, but at least she'd managed to hit the bitch once. Was that petty of her? Very much so. Did she care? Not at all.

That is, until Kaguya she laughed and flung it back in her face.

Every muscle in Cinder's body clamped down as one and she toppled to a knee, Aura crackling angrily.

"My, my!" her tormentor laughed softly behind a raised hand as she watched her spasm. "That felt quite pleasant! Do try again, dear girl. Its been ages since I've had a chance to stretch my legs." she jerked her head to the right, then the left, producing an agonizing pop with each motion. "I hope you'll forgive me if I...prolong this a bit. Now. Lets start with your eyes.

A knot of dread unfurled in her stomach, but she didn't look away as that manicured hand arced back.

...bite...me...!"

Kaguya scoffed at her.

_"Tsk, tsk! Language, my dear!"_

A boulder crashed into her back and sent her flying over Cinder's head.

Cinder blinked through bleary eyes, trying to piece together one moment and the next as she gasped for breath that refused to come. She hadn't been the one to create that rock, much less throw it. Who, then? Neither Emerald nor Mercury possessed the raw strength to fling something like that around. Who...?

A large arm wrapped her waist and hoisted her upright as though she weighed no more than a child.

"Stand." a familiar voice grunted. "There's work to be done."

Cinder did as she was bade, glowering all the while.

Sure enough, she found _him_ looming over her.

"Hazel...?"

She'd not expected him to return from...wherever the devil he'd run off to. Naruto hadn't said, and she'd come to assume he'd simply returned to Salem's side. For him to be here now wasn't just a stroke of luck; it was nothing short of divine intervention. Another hit and she would've lost an eye or worse.

He pressed a sword into her hands as her Aura flickered fitfully. "Don't lose it."

When she looked down, the Relic of Destruction burned bright in her grasp. Cinder balked at it.

"Emerald's nearby." a large hand dwarfed her shoulder. "Be mindful and don't give her away, or we'll lose our advantage."

No wonder he'd been able to sneak up on Kaguya. Doubtless she'd figure out the trick soon enough, but a slim chance was better than none, she supposed.

"Ah, and now the gentle giant enters the fray." Kaguya rose, dusted herself off, and sketched a curtsy that just _reeked _of arrogance. "But not so gentle, is he?" she smiled and touched a dainty finger to one cheek. "Hazel the dullard, Hazel the murderer, Hazel the betrayer."

"What of it?" the stout man frowned. "Your words mean nothing to me."

"Whatever would your sister think of you now?" Regardless of his intent, Kaguya found the chink in his armor with ease. "You sold your soul to the devil, and for what? Revenge? Against a deathless man? Ha!" pearly white teeth flashed out at them in another ghastly grin. "The Grimm killed your sister, and you joined their master!"

The giant didn't bat an eyelash.

"I've made peace with who I am and what I've done."

"You really have, haven't you?" Kaguya sighed airily and shook her head. "Mores the pity. Its no fun when I can't torment my victims."

Cinder twitched.

She'd been silent for some time now, allowing her Aura to slowly trickle back in.

For all her claims at being a goddess, Kaguya struck her as a petty creature. A vengeful soul lashing out at everyone and everything near her. Someone who cared for naught but themselves. She delighted in causing pain and agony and misery. And for what? Did she derive some sick pleasure out of it? Everything she did was for a purpose. Kaguy was simply cruel for the sake of being cruel.

"We're not yours to torment!"

"My dear Cinder," Kaguya crooned briefly in Naruto's voice, the words gone jagged and cruel. _"Everyone_ is my victim._ Everyone_ is mine to torment." She spread her arms wide to each side, as though to beseech the very heavens themselves. "Really, you have no one to blame but yourselves for this. He befriended you, he formed bonds with you, so naturally, you must die. And your deaths will make him suffer." thunder rumbled overhead and the fitful raindrops began to intensity, but still her smile remained beatific. "Everything he has ever made must be undone. Such is the punishment he deserves for delaying me."

Hazel slammed a fresh dust cylinder into his arm and started forward. Kaguya tittered softly and moved to meet him.

"Careful, now. Defy me, and you may destroy any chance of seeing your sister in this lifetime."

Hazel did not rise to the bait. "No one will die today, save you. Begone, parasite."

As Cinder looked on the man's muscles began to twist and bulge beneath his coat. Another cylinder followed and the coat tore itself to shreds. He shrugged his shoulders at the lost and stormed onward, footsteps like an avalanche. Then came a third syringe. He grunted and cracked his knuckles as muscles swelled further still, lending him a monstrous appearance. Yet a _fourth_ syringe came and went in the blink of an eye, only to be discarded with its brethren over his rapidly swelling shoulders.

Kaguya paused, brow furrowing in concern. "You would destroy your body to face me?"

Hazel didn't answer. Hazel _blurred._

Even as Kaguya's hair surged in to entrap him, the giant broke through and struck her across the face. It was a good punch all thing considered; unlike Cinder's earlier slap, Hazel's fist struck with sound and fury, shattering her defenses to send the proud woman sprawling in the dirt. Kaguya got right back up and he smashed her down before she could mount a defense. She reared back and tore a bloody trench in his chest in recompense, only to _lose_ the limb as he tore it clean off. He bulled through, grabbed her by the skull, and slammed her body into the dirt.

It was his Semblance, Cinder realized. Hazel couldn't feel pain.

And he fought all the better for it

It pained her to admit it, but in terms of sheer physical prowess he'd always been the better fighter.

When the goddess lashed out he caught her remaining arm and reached in to snap off one of her horns atop her head. Even as Kaguya gasped, Hazel reared back with the shar in his grasp, then drove it through her third eye. Kaguya yelped and slammed a hand at his kidney, only to inexplicably miss what should've been a lethal blow.

Kaguya whipped around and found Emerald lurking behind a tree. _"Little bitch!"_

The thief ducked just as a strange ashen spike leaped from the woman's sleeve and jabbed at the space she'd occupied. It struck a tree and left it to crumble like so much ash. When Kaguya lashed out after, Hazel stepped in, and Cinder moved to flank him. Kaguya snarled and struck out with her hair, to no avail; yet again she failed to find her target once again thanks to Emerald's meddling.

"Meddling ants! Just die already!"

Cinder saw her opening and lunged; in her hands, the Relic of Destruction burned angry and bright to score an angry line down Kaguya's back.

The goddess whirled on her, only for Hazel to yank her back by the hair. And so the dance went.

Together, they three of them made progress. Slow, gradual progress.

Looking back, Cinder would wonder why they'd fared so well. Perhaps Kaguya didn't quite have control of Naruto's body yet. Maybe she was weakened from being contained for so long. Perhaps they'd just gotten lucky so far. The last one was more likely. Naruto had spoken long and at length of what Kaguya was capable of. If she had the full breadth of her powers at her disposal, they would've been so much dust on the winds. Maybe that was his doing; why he didn't show himself.

Regardless, the tide was turning in their favor.

Until, quite suddenly, it tipped over.

_"That's enough."_

White eyes flickered into blue without warning, and Kaguya froze.

It was an abrupt thing indeed; one moment she'd been ready to skewer them all; the next her lips moved of her own volition and she fell to a knee. Even then, Cinder didn't dare approach. Kaguya had already proven that she was capable of deceit. She'd not get close unless she knew it to be him.

"Naruto...?"

Kaguya's head snapped up, bearing bright blue eyes.

"NO!" They burned an unholy white not a beat later. "I will not be denied! Vengeance will be mine!"

_"You don't have a choice."_ Her body wrenched itself as though struck by a great blow._ "I've had enough of you!"_

"I will destroy everything you've ever loved!"

_"And I'll be there to stop you."_

When the Rabbit Goddess shrieked everyone flinched against it; wincing before that awful, high pitched sound. She threw her head back as a crack etched itself across her pallid face. The another. And another. Another still as they looked on. Long nails clutched at her skull, as though trying to hold it together through sheer willpower...and failing. Shards of flaky grey fell away from her face, exposing a blue eye and whiskered cheeks lurking beneath. It made for bloody spectacle as that half-and-half face gazed at them.

"This isn't over!" her lone eye found Cinder and locked on with all her might. "I'll get out again, and when I do...! You're dead! All of you! Dead!"

Her remaining horn receded, pale hair falling out as a shaggy blond mane emerged from beneath.

_"Its over. You've lost. Now give me back my body!"_

"No!" Her body didn't break.

_It crumbled._

Like peeling back a layer of dead skin to reveal life beneath, so too did the last of her away from Naruto's body. An arm tore free from her wide sleeve. Followed by a leg. Pale lips parted in one final wordless cry as the blank canvas that was her visage gained color that had been there before. Everything fractured. She fell forward like a husk, leaving her host behind as she crumbled away to nothing. What remained of her shattered as she struck the ground, leaving naught but ashes behind.

Naruto staggered out of the ashen shell on wobbly legs.

"Well." he croaked softly. "That was...unpleasant."

Something in his voice broke Cinder. Perhaps he was being too blase about his near-death experience. Perhaps she was simply fed up with him. Who could say? She wasn't sure what it was that set her off, only that he did and she was having none of it. Even as Naruto stumbled forward she moved to meet him. Her heels clicked harshly against upturned stones, eyes burning in the rain. With the Rabbit Goddess gone it finally fell freely upon them, a warm spring rain that soaked her to the bone.

Cinder didn't care. Her eyes burned with fresh flame. She'd found her target, and she would not be denied. Not after what she'd been through. Not this time.

"Imbecile!" A muscle jumped angrily in her jaw as she walked. Words tumbled from her mouth like wine. "Of all the reckless, arrogant, pigheaded...!"

"Oh." Naruto saw her coming and raised a hand. "Now, wait just a second. I know you're angry. I can explain...

Hazel winced at the poor choice of words as Cinder slapped the Relic into his hands.

Cinder? Cinder absolutely twitched. Angry? No, no, no. She was beyond anger. Well and truly beyond it. Kaguya had aired truths she'd rather not speak of, and worse, Naruto knew them. Oh, he'd keep quiet about them to be sure, but that wasn't what had her blood boiling in her veins. He'd given up, handed this fight to her, and expected her to make the right decision. She had of course, she always would, but the knowledge burned all the same.

She stepped into Naruto, grabbed by the face. "Never again."

The blond blinked back at her. "Its really not that simple."

She pinched his cheeks. "Never. Again."

For a fleeting instant she thought he might protest. Naruto looked like he wanted to. In the end his shoulders slumped. "Alright, alright, I give. I'll try not to let that happen a second time."

_"Try?"_

He capitulated with a shrug.

"Good. Because after this?" she flung a hand at the chaos around him. "You're mine. Objections will not be tolerated."

They both knew she was trying to save face. She'd been worried about him, damnit. But she'd never speak the words. Not aloud. Gods above, she could feel Emerald and Hazel gazing at her. There would be a reckoning for this. She knew that. Right now? She was too tired to care. She just wanted to bury her head in a pillow and sleep. But first! She _would_ have what she was owed.

His cheeky grin warmed her in ways it shouldn't have. But did all the same. "Wait, does that mean-

Cinder yanked his head down with growl and crushed her mouth against his.

"Awww," he hummed when she pulled away. "You do care."

Cinder glowered daggers at him. "Shut up, fool."

_ She still kissed him again._

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS. ****Else, you might be horribly confused. Wouldn't want that, would we?**

**Aaaaand away goes Kaguya! **

**This was a heavy chapter, but it paves the way for the good bits to come. Did you think such a fight would go unnoticed? Nope.**

**That said, I'm sure everyone's going to notice how vicious Kaguya is in this story. There's a reason for that. Think about it, if you were sealed away by your own kids, released, then SEALED AGAIN in the body of their descendant, you'd probably swear vengeance on the one responsible for it. **

**Nevermind the fact that she's been draining Naruto's chakra for the better part of an eternity. ****Kaguya loathes him. Now she hates Cinder in equal measure. She wants to destroy everything they hold dear. Heaven help them if she finds a way to get out and STAY out.**

**In other news, h****oly hell, Untraveled Road is nearly at 1200 reviews?! When?! Where?! HOW?!**

**Any chance ya'll could get it to 1200? We'll try and update that one next regardless, but reviews are fuel for me and the team. They also push us to make longer chapters, and seeing as the last one was more than 20k+ in terms of length...**

**...well, we just enjoy reading feedback. It makes us feel like we're making a difference.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!  
**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY!  
**_

_**YE BE WARNED!**_

**Read at your own risk!**

**(Preview)**

_Salem blinked rapidly._

_"He...can revive the dead?"_

_Oh. Oh! This changed things. Changed quite a bit._

* * *

_"Why couldn't you let me stay dead?! I wanted to rest!"_

* * *

_"Alright, then. You've made your choice."_

* * *

_"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you..._

* * *

_"GET OUT!"_

**R&R~!**


	9. Effigy

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

** *EDIT***

**Ignore the trolls, or better yet, laugh at them. That's what I'm doing nowadays.**

**That said, it really feels good to dive back into this again. This story just has a fun little flair to it.**

**For better or worse, Naruto and Cinder have made themselves known to the world. Naturally, that would bring consequences. Unpleasant ones. ****Raising the dead isn't a pretty business even under the . At the end of the day the Edo Tensei is a ghastly jutsu that never should've been invented. ****But exist it does, and now the world of Remnant gets to see it firsthand. ****I could say more, but thar be spoilers. So I'll just let this chapter do the talking. ****As ever, I own no references, quotes, memes or themes.**

** My team and I write as a hobby these days, using this site as chance to bring a little happiness and joy back into this world.**

**Reviews are the only form of payment we'll ever receive for our hard work.**

**And so, with that said...away we go~!**

_"You're not a monster, Cinder. You're just...different. There's nothing wrong with being different. Remember that."_

_"Spare me your sentiment. I have no need of it. You need my help, and I need yours. __This is a business transaction. Nothing more._

_"I mean sure, just suck the fun out of it why don't...wait. Wow. You're blushing. Unbelievable. I didn't think you **could** blush. That's actually adorable."_

_"I. Will. Burn. You."_

_"Don't suppose I could have another kiss instead-owowowow! Alright, alright!"_

_~Naruto and Cinder._

**Effigy**

_Salem saw it all._

Ensconced within her tower, she reclined upon her throne and observed the spectacle with singular focus.

None noticed the tiny Nevermore watching them from the bough of a nearby tree; none knew that the Queen of the Grimm saw through its eyes as if they were her own. How could they? She'd not told them. And so she watched the ambush, saw the chaos that followed, bore witness to Cinder's betrayal, and stood by as her pawns fell one by one. Hazel and Cinder's treachery came as something of a surprise, a novelty even. She hadn't thought them capable of it. Oh, they would suffer for their betrayal, but that was neither here nor now.

Raven's death didn't disturb her in the least. The girl had been a pawn, one controlled by fear.

Losing the Spring Maiden was an annoyance at best. She'd served her purpose and Haven's vault lay open. The maidens had ever been a means to an end. Summer was no more, slain after she'd been forced to open the hidden vault in Shade vault. Who knew where her power had gone? Fall was watched over by Ozpin day and night. Atlas kept Winter under lock and key.

Forfeiting the Relic of Destruction, however? That one...actually stung a little. More than Salem would've liked to admit.

Any Relic lost was one she'd have to reclaim, and with many of her finest pawns gone, she knew she'd have to recruit from other circles. Forcefully, if need be. Tyrian had been little more than a raving madman, but the rest were a genuine loss to her. They would have to replaced. Worse, it would take years to train up another maiden candidate. And so she began to dwell on that. Way to take revenge, ways in which she wad could yet reclaim what she had lost. Such thoughts consumed her, drove her, spurred her onward.

Until she saw the precise moment when Naruto brought Tyrian Callows back to life.

And that...well, that changed things. Changed quite a bit. Her traitorous heart flipped in her chest. A useful skill. Very useful indeed. How many times could he use it? Was there a limit? Were sacrifices required? Questions buzzed about in her head like angry rapier wasps_. An ability like that shouldn't -couldn't!- be wasted. __What was the saying favored by this generation? __If you can't beat them, join them. __Yes...yes, that was the one. She'd convince him. Draw him out, pull him to her side. _

Salem leaned forward in her throne, watching with thinly veiled interest as the young man performed an even more spectacular feat.

And as she watched, her mind flitted back to four little girls.

Her daughters. Her children. Her family. Her world. Her all. It wasn't fair, what happened to them. It was all Ozma's fault. If he hadn't tried to take them away that night, they never would have perished. But this was her chance. It was a slim hope, but hope nonetheless. She would bring this man to her side. She would have them restored. She would regain everything she'd lost.

_And then? Then she would see Ozma burn._

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_"I'll kill them all, Naruto."_

"Hmm?" the blond hummed. "I'm sorry, didn't quite catch that. Who are you going to kill this time?"

_"Who...?!" _Kaguya hissed in his head like a scalded cat_. "Cinder, you fool! I'll slaughter her and everything you hold dear!"_

As far as threats went, Naruto didn't consider that to be a particularly good one. Not anymore. Oh, she earned some points for her venom and bile to be sure, but she lacked creativity. You could only threaten someone with the exact same words so many times before said words began to lose their edge. Throughout the ages, the Rabbit Goddess had whispered the same threat to him time again, ever swearing to rip away everything he came to care for.

Once upon a time Naruto had feared such warnings.

In the beginning, when he'd first sealed Kaguya inside, he had sought to distance himself from the world, tried to hide away where he would never be a danger to anyone. A cold, lonely, miserable life, one that eventually took him out of his world and into another.

Now he didn't even flinch as he dripped his brush into the ink pot, stirred once, and went to work.

"Is that all you have?" he snorted into the silence of the morning. "I'll kill them? You've made that threat before, old hag. This time will be your last."

_"You think you can stop me a second time?" _An angry snarl greeted him as he wove fine strokes of ink upon the earth, all the while careful to leave his slumbering victim untouched._ "You can't hold me back forever."_

"I don't _have_ to stop you." Another stroke completed a fresh line of runic script around the soon-to-be corpse. "I've already found a way. You're dead, Kaguya. You just haven't realized it yet."

just need to hold on long enough for someone else to do it."

_"Dead? Me? Fool. I am eternal. Your thoughts betray you...no."_ she tried to read his thoughts, then scowled when he made no effort to hide them from her._ "Madman! What have you done?!"_

"You already know the answer, don't you?" Naruto hummed as he continued his work. "Go ahead. Read my mind. I'm an open book to you."

Kaguya couldn't resist such temptation. Of course not; she was too greedy to refuse. She thought her victory was already assured and so parsed through his every thought, searching for a lie, only to find truth lurking in its place. They sat the truth sets you free. This truth damned her. A wordless curse greeted him as he locked his thoughts away again, leaving her reeling.

_"You...you used me!" _she roared! _"ME! How dare you! I am a Goddess! You are but a mortal! You have no right!"_

"Don't I?" Naruto's grin was just the wrong shade of vicious. "All's fair in love and war, and there's something to be said about quality over quantity these days." There it was. For the first time since he'd bound her, he felt her _fear._ It was a heady thing indeed. "Really, I should thank you. I already had Hazel on my side. Mercury and Emerald were wavering too, but your little "outburst" last night? Heh."

_"When I take control, I shall make your friends scream, Naruto. This world will choke and die, cursing you with its final breath."_

See, now that was a creative threat. Pity he'd stopped fearing her.

"Hurts, doesn't it? Knowing you've been used." he chuckled anew, and her enraged silence warmed him more than words. _"_You're right. I _let_ you out. I could've fought you a bit longer, but I gave got to see just what she was up against and _that_ did more to earn her loyalty than anything I could've done. And in winning her to my side, Mercury and Emerald came with her. So, yeah. Thanks for that."

Kaguya withdrew from his mind with one final curse.

Lowering the worn tool to the loamy soil once more, Naruto continued to paint.

Cinder and the rest looked on in quiet confusion as he worked, but they didn't interfere. They didn't dare.

This might be his final chance to kill that blasted goddess once and for all. She'd not allow him another. It was this, or rip her out of his body and seal her somewhere else. Somewhere no one could find her. But that seal would break in time, unleashing her on the next generation. Unacceptable. Thus, he planned to drown her in bodies. To fling skilled fighters at her over and over until something stuck.

And it was working.

He'd already begun cultivating strong allies. Hazel could fight without feeling any pain for hours on end. Mercury was a lethal assassin, unmatched in the art of killing. Emerald's semblance was essentially a watered down version of the Sharingan, sans the bullshit. Cinder had already broken her limits and seemed to grow in strength every day. Assuming she got ahold of the remaining Maidens, her powers would likely double, then triple, perhaps even quadruple. She was strong enough now already now that she'd claimed the power of the Spring Maiden from Raven.

What might she be like with three more under her belt AND a relic -fragments of a god!- held in each hand? A powerful distraction, if not an outright threat.

And if he could resurrect or recruit more skilled fighters? Well, well, well...

Naruto knew there was a bitter irony in his thoughts there. In the beginning Cinder had sought to use him, yet here he was, using her for his own ends. Rather, they were both using each other. Cinder certainly knew that his motives weren't entirely altruistic, nor were hers. That was fine. He didn't mind being used by her...so long as she allowed him to use her in turn. That's what partners did, right? He cared for her of course, just as she cared for him, but they both wanted Kaguya dead and gone. She wasn't a good person, but neither was he. Anyone who kept reviving the dead -denying them their rest!- wasn't right in the head.

With one final stroke, he finished painting the intricate seal and stepped back to let the ink dry.

Brushing down his knees, Naruto climbed to his feet and took a step back.

"Alright, then!" he declared. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_"Shall we begin?"_

All eyes turned to Cinder and for once, she didn't bask in the attention.

Instead her eyes strayed to her ally -Lover? Mentor? Partner?- as he finished painting the final seal at her feet and rose to his own, brush still dripping with glossy black ink. She watched him take his victim and deposit them in the center of the array, all the while careful not to disturb his handiwork.

"I'd day Neo and Hazel are owed their dues, wouldn't you agree?" he sounded so damn chipper about it, the bastard.

Hazel looked to her. "Are all these preparations really necessary?"

"Don't ask me." Cinder fought down a grimace. "I've not seen this before."

In hindsight it seemed such a silly thing to ask; she stood as living proof that such a thing was indeed possible. Were it not for Naruto she'd be dead in a ditch somewhere. It wasn't a matter of "if" here, only how. Naruto had conquered death. He'd shackled it, made it his slave, a beast to obey his bidding. And now she'd tied her fate to his. Salem would never forgive this betrayal.

Well, they'd just have to deal with her then, wouldn't she? Kaguya too. Two goddesses. Ha! A tiny, hysteric giggle echoed in the back of Cinder's head.

_"Idiot. You're all going to die."_ Raven's tattered soul hissed in her mind. _"If Kaguya doesn't get you, Salem will! You've doomed yourselves!"_

Cinder ignored the fearful woman as her eyes trailed across the intricate seals and glyphs, taking them all in turn.

All the while, Tyrian continued to drool mindlessly at her feet; a chilling reminder of Naruto's abilities. The blond had dragged him back to life...and yet he hadn't. His body lived anew that much was true, but his already fractured psyche had been irrevocably shattered by the Rabbit Goddess before his demise. There was nothing of him to bring back. Only an empty, drooling husk remained. His brain had atrophied. His body just hadn't realized it yet. Like an engine running on fumes, ready to die at any given moment. Then there was the matter of Watts. Another sacrifice...once Mercury finished interrogating him.

She shivered slightly.

Salem's enemies died once. That was the end of it. Here? Death wasn't the end for Naruto's adversaries. If you wronged him and tried escape into that black abyss, he'd drag you back. Keep raising you until you broke. A torment unending. Cinder suddenly found herself grateful that she'd chosen his side all the same.

"What of Raven?" Hazel inquired. "I noticed you didn't revive her."

_"Yes, what about me?"_ the voice in Cinder's head perked up immediately.

"What about her?" Naruto crossed his arms. "Even if I could revive her, I won't."

Raven clammed up. Cinder took a perverse pleasure in the sudden pang of fear that followed.

"You mean you can't?" this from Emerald.

"Clever girl." Naruto's hand descended to muss her hair. "Long story short? Her soul's tangled up with the power of the Spring Maiden." His arm pulled away as he held up a lecturing finger. "It'll fade given enough time, but even then I likely won't be able to properly return her to life. I had a hell of a time reviving Cinder at all because of it, and she was freshly dead." he shrugged. "I had to get...inventive to bring her back to life. Wasn't sure my idea would work...until it did."

Cinder's world went cold as a pit opened in her stomach. "What did you do to me?"

"Didn't you find it odd?" A blond brow rose in mild confusion. "You recovered so quickly, gained all your strength back and more. Yet you didn't stop there." his words continued to fracture her resolve. "You surpassed your limits time and time again. You managed to stand on equal footing with a goddess, if only for a time."

_"Naruto!"_

The other brow rose.

"I cut off a tiny piece of my soul and fused it with yours." His honest smile hurt her, if only because he genuinely thought he'd helped her. "That's all I did! Honest!" he raised his hands when she conjured a fireball in her right hand. "It weakened me a little, but it was enough to bind you to your body. Don't worry, you're still you. Just better. Faster. Stronger."

Cinder inhaled, feeling her fury rise to a boiling point. Then she exhaled. The fire guttered out in her palm.

_This mustn't register on an emotional level,_ she told herself. If she allowed her feelings to have their way, her temper would surely blaze out of control and she'd do or say something she might come to regret. Breathe. This changed nothing. At the end of the day she was still herself. Her emotions were her still own. Her mind was her own. Her strength was her own. She'd pushed herself to regain her power and more. Naruto had simply unlocked her potential. Yes. That was it, and any other foolish thoughts wouldn't be tolerated.

"Why?" the word still emerged as a croak. "Why do all this for me?"

"Because I knew someone like you, once." His smile became a scowl. "I didn't help them, didn't reach out until it was too late."

Her hands balled into fists at her sides. "What became of that person?"

_"They died. _But you won't. You're going to be something special, Cinder." there was something odd about those words, something that resonated deep within her. "Even I don't know what your limits are anymore. I hope I live long enough to see what you become."

Oddly enough, those words warmed Cinder. Well. That simplified things, didn't it? He was hers. No one else could have his broken, benighted soul.

Emerald coughed. "Ma'am, I hate to ruin the moment, but Neo's getting antsy."

The little minx hadn't budged an inch for the last five minutes. She'd been silent as the grave. Cinder risked a glance at her, only to find the girl's mismatching eyes locked on Tyrian's still form. A frightful anger lurked in their depths, shadowed by the tiniest ember of hope. It was almost too painful to see. If something went wrong, if this failed, she'd be shattered.

"Deed's done, boss." Mercury's voice called from across the clearing. "Watts sang like a canary. Cinder try sucking your face off again?"

The Spring Maiden twitched.

To his credit, Naruto didn't respond as the assassin sauntered to their side. He knew that would set her off.

Mercury noticed it too.

"Sooo...how does this thing work?" the assassin ventured quickly before Cinder could eviscerate him for his slip.

"I'm glad you asked." Naruto clapped his hands, and Cinder did her best to ignore the bloody ink still staining his fingers black. "This jutsu's a little different from the one I normally like to use, so it requires a good deal of preparation. Its different if someone died recently. For instance, Tyrian died recently, and right in front of me at that. Bringing him back was easy. His soul was nearby, I just had to guide it to his body and force it to stay. His mind was another matter. I can't fix that...

The faunus continued to drool at their feet.

...not sure if I want to." Naruto turned aside and spat. "For those who died ages ago, its not a simple matter of finding their souls and bringing them back." he paused for effect, raising his arms. "Roman doesn't even have a body to house his soul anymore. Which means I need to construct a container for it. And how do we house a soul, children?"

"With a sacrifice." Hazel echoed, eyes widening.

"Precisely." blue eyes flashed. "That's why I _hate_ this jutsu."

"Enough grandstanding." Cinder wrinkled her nose. "Begin the ritual, would you?"

"Hold your horses, hothead." the sage chided gently. "First, I require a bit of DNA. Neo?"

She skipped forward and presented him with an old bowler hat, battered and worn. Blech. Filthy thing.

"Thanks." Naruto dipped a hand inside it respectfully, then handed it back to her. "Got a few strands of hair. It'll have to do. Stand back now, would you? Don't want anyone caught up in this."

"Mercury." Cinder snapped. "Make certain no one from the village observes us. It wouldn't do for this to be seen."

Perhaps it was a little petty of her to send him away, but she wasn't in the mood for his snark. If he wanted to act like a child, then he would be treated like one.

"Damn, mom." Of course, he didn't go quietly. "Why you gotta be such a party pooper?"

A black brow arched at him. "What was that...?"

_"Not a thing! Going now! Bye!"_

The assassin scampered.

Naruto didn't chuckle at their little fiasco, he simply opened his hands pressed them together. What followed could only be called a blur. Cinder watched him twist his fingers into strange shapes and felt something stir in the air. His mismatching eyes seemed to burn with faint flames, blue and violet seething impossibly bright. Beside her, she felt Neo stiffen. Mercury muttered a curse as the ink around Tyrian pulsed a blinding white and Emerald shrank behind her as though to seek shelter from whatever was about to emerge. Hazel remained stoic as ever...until Naruto spoke.

"Edo Tensei!" he declared soundly.

_"By the gods!"_

Hazel sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as strands of ashen paper erupted from the earth to entangle Tyrian from head to toe. Countless hands, grasping and snatching, dragging him down. In his final moments, the Faunus must've realized what was happening, because his eyes widened and he managed an awful gurgle. Then he was gone, suffocated to death once more, mummified by ash. All that remained was a shriveled up corpse. Cinder shivered again despite herself. That looked like a bad way to go.

"What now?" Emerald spoke into the silence that followed.

"Now I create a new body for Roman, using Tyrian as a catalyst." Naruto informed them. The blond slammed his hands together and sure enough, the ash began to peel like bad wallpaper. Slowly at first, then with increasing speed, the strands of ghastly paper unwove themselves, crumbling from Tyrian's body to fall unto the floor. Cinder half-expected to see his face beneath, but no, a familiar visage stood in its place. As the jutsu pulled back from the man's battered head, she beheld a miracle.

Roman Torchwick snarled.

"Oh, what the hell is this...?" Narrow eyes leered back at them, framed by orange hair and a furious scowl. "Who're you? I was having a nice nap, too!"

Neo gasped soundlessly and tried to pounce on her partner. Naruto snagged the tiny girl by the scruff of her neck and reeled her back in like a fish, uncaring of her scowl.

"Calm down, would you?" he hummed and drew a strange sealing tag from his jacket pocket instead. "I haven't finished the jutsu. He be right as a rain in a moment. Just hold still now...

Roman choked out an angry breath as the blond rammed it into the back of his neck and buried it deep within his unnatural body. Roman's pallid visage regained some color and those dead eyes began to glow with some semblance of life, burning now with a burning yet unnatural pallor. With a ponderous creak, he began to move his limbs, forcing himself up from his knees into a stumbling stagger. Even then he glared bloody daggers at them all.

The moment he saw _her_, he absolutely hissed.

"Why couldn't you let me stay dead, you awful bitch?!" a finger jabbed against her skull, seeking her grey matter. "I wanted to rest!"

"And so you did." Cinder couldn't quite keep the smile from her face as she batted his hand away. "Now we have need of you again. You should be grateful."

_"Grateful?!"_

Well. There went the last of her doubts. This was undoubtedly Roman. Right down to the mascara. She didn't pity him. He'd served his purpose and perished for it. Even if he'd survived the assault on Beacon, she would've killed him to ensure his silence. It wasn't anything personal. Just business. He'd ever been a pawn, and sometimes pawns must be sacrificed in the game that was life.

For a moment she thought roman was actually going to attack her; until Naruto stepped aside and Neo slammed into him like a heat-seeking missile.

"Umph?!" Just like that, all the heat in the man's eyes died as she collided with him. "Neo, what the hell?! What're you doing here?!"

Neo didn't answer. Instead, she offered him his hat and cane. A rare, almost sentimental look flitted across the thief's pallid face as he accepted them. After a moment's consideration Roman dusted the dirty bowler hat off and donned it once more. Balancing himself on his favored weapon, the gentleman thief seemed to stand just a little bit taller than before.

"Anybody got a smoke?" he asked.

Naruto offered him one and granted him a light.

"Ah, that's the stuff." Roman inhaled deeply and exhaled in a hearty plume of smoke. He seemed more himself for it, Cinder noted. "I needed that." Taking another moment to compose himself -that, or satisfy his tobacco fix!- the master thief took a wary step backward, careful to keep Neo between him and the rest of the world. "So? Who's this mook?" he sneered at her. "Did you "recruit" him, too? He get the same retirement package as me?"

Cinder hissed. Her face was on fire, she just knew it.

"Not quite." Naruto put in glibly. "Our partnership is a little more...personal than that."

"Wait, wait." Roman guffawed. "You're kidding, right? No? Oh, my gods." he snickered, laughed, then outright cackled, slapping his knee as he outright hooted at her. "I can't believe it! Someone actually did it. You tamed her. I didn't think it was possible! Ha!" his grin turned downright vicious. "What's she like? Must be a real firebrand under the sheets, eh?"

Cinder felt her mouth twist.

"My, my. Aren't we mouthy today?" Flames flickered at her fingertips, longing to lash out and consume him whole. "I don't recall you having this much of a death wish the last time we spoke, Roman."

"I'm _already_ dead, sweetheart." he leered back at her. "Whaddya gonna do? Kill me again? Think I fancy my chances this time."

Neo's expression put paid to that and fresh fire bloomed in Cinder's eyes.

_"I can certainly try!"_

"You sure you don't want me to leave him like this?" Naruto spoke again, but this time his words were directed to Neo, rather than herself. "He's not properly reincarnated yet, but as he is now, he's basically indestructible and immortal." When her eyes lit up, he was just as quick to dash her hopes. "He can't feel anything, Neo. Food will have no taste. Pain means nothing to him; no, less than nothing." his words drew a grimace from her as he barreled on. "Its nothing something he'd enjoy. From here, I can make him flesh and blood again, but that's up to you."

"What, don't I get a say in this?" Roman groused.

Cinder rolled her eyes. "This from the man who was eaten by a griffin?"

"Yeah, no." Emerald seconded. "That's not happening. You're lucky to be alive."

"No." Hazel put in quickly. "No, you do not."

_"I hate you all so much right now!"_

Cinder would've said yet more, if someone hadn't come crashing through the undergrowth like an angry berserker. She bristled and nearly summoned her blades on the spot; it was only a flash of silver hair that stilled her raging reflexes. Even then she couldn't quite quell the fleeting sense of dread brought on by his arrival.

"Mercury! I told you to watch the perimeter!" she hissed.

"Yeah, about that," the assassin drawled with a grin, trailing one hand behind him. "I did. Found a little rat skulking about." his grin grew, just an inch. "He had a prisoner, too...said something about making an exchange with us? You know anything about that, boss?"

"Oh." Naruto muttered less than eloquently. "I might."

"Yup. Thought so."

Chuckling softly, Mercury turned and hauled someone out of the bush behind him; it did little to ease Cinder's paranoia. This so-called "rat" he spoke of was little more than a young man, blond hair and blue eyes all. Clad in odd armor with a sword at his side, battered blue jeans, and...was that a hoodie? Dear gods, it was. Who even wore such a thing? Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.

To make matters worse, stranger took one look at her and all but snarled. "YOU?! Why are you here?! I'll kill you!"

"I'm sorry," Cinder blinked in genuine confusion. Did she know this boy? "Have we met before?"

She was sure they had. Didn't his name start with a "J" or somesuch?

"You...you monster! _Murderer! _How could you?!"

Roman hissed. "Oh, what the hell?!"

It was the wrong thing to say; because it set the teen into a frothing frenzy. Blue eyes flashed wildly as he howled and raged against Mercury, to no avail. For all his fire and fury, the assassin held him fast. When he tried to break free the older boy swept the blond's legs, stomped down onto his chest and pinned him to the floor with an iron boot. When he went for his sword, Emerald swept in to kick it out of his hand.

Mercury stepped back and quite suddenly Hazel was _there _plucking him off the ground to ram him against a tree.

"I remember this one." he growled. "He's from Beacon."

"Sir?" Emerald asked. "What should we do with him?"

Cinder turned a questioning eye on Naruto.

"Yes, what indeed...?"

They had to kill him, of course. If he was here, then that meant Ozpin and the others couldn't be far behind. And if they let him go, he was sure to run squealing back to that parasite. He had to die. She could've killed him easily enough. She was almost tempted to, if only out of principle. One did not leave an enemy at your back. And yet...a pang of curiosity stayed her hand. Naruto clearly knew this fool, somehow. But when? Where? How? She wanted answers; answers a corpse could not provide.

In the end, Naruto surprised her. He always did.

Really, he should've known better by now, the sentimental fool.

"Let him up." he released a long suffering sigh. "I made him a promise. And I keep my promises...

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS. ****Else, you might be horribly confused. Wouldn't want that, would we?**

**Bad Jaune! Very bad!What were you thinking?!**

**And so the torch has been lit anew!**

**Raven's staying dead. It wasn't that Naruto didn't use her as a sacrifice, but rather, he can't. Her soul is literally mixed with Cinder's, tangled up in the might of the Spring Maiden.**

**Hazel's sister is...well. We've never seen here, so I'll have to take some liberties when she does come around.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!  
**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY!  
**_

_**YE BE WARNED!**_

**Read at your own risk!**

**(Preview)**

_"Please...bring her back."_

_Naruto sighed. "Getting too damn old for this, Jaune..._

* * *

_"Sure, let the brother gods come. Why not?! I'm already trying to commit deicide with two goddess. The more the merrier!"_

_"You sound angry." Emerald hedged._

_"WHAT GAVE IT AWAY?!"_

* * *

_"She'll betray you." Roman warned as he turned his back. "__She uses people, boss. That's what she is. A user..._

_"I'm using her, too." Naruto hummed as he inscribed another seal. "Its a mutual thing."_

_...can I die again? I liked it better when the world made sense."_

* * *

_"Atlas?"_

_"That's where I intend to go, yes." __Cinder stirred in the sheets and rolled over, exposing the slender expanse of a pale shoulder to his bleary eyes. __"I'd like you to join me." her golden eyes seemed to shimmer in the dark as she spoke; as she climbed atop him and straddled his hips_

_Naruto leaned back._

_"Alright, alright. Atlas it is..._

* * *

_"Abomination."_

_"So we've fallen back on insults again, have we?" A blond brow rose. "This coming from the old man possessing a boy's body. You remind me of Orochimaru. At least I'm honest about what I am."_

**R&R~!**


	10. Just Close Your Eyes

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

**Double update day, whoo! I've updated this and one of the "A Most Unlikely" stories. Feels good to do those again~!**

**Ignore the trolls and their death threats, or better yet, laugh at them. That's what I'm doing nowadays. Reviews are the wind beneath my wings, and they make these insults seem small and petty by comparison. ****My team and I write as a hobby these days, using this site as chance to bring a little happiness and joy back into this world.**

**Reviews are the only form of payment we'll ever receive for our hard work. Alright, onto the good bits!**

**Now comes the chaos.**

** Though Naruto and his merry little band of misfits don't know it, the arrival of Jaune has set off something of a...chain reaction. One he won't be able to stop. Events spiral now toward the inevitable center. You see, a****t the end of the day, our body wants to be a good person. But he wants to be rid of Kaguya even more. He's willing to step on some toes to do that. All of the toes, really. Cinder and the rest are his allies, a tether to keep him grounded, but if that tether snaps...yikes.**

**A reminder, Cinder may have mellowed a bit, but she's not a good person. This chapter serves as a reminder.**

**Also, poor Jaune's operating on outdated info here; that may well doom him.**

**As ever, I own no references, themes or memes!**

**And so, with that said...away we go~!**

_"Tell me, just how far would you go to bring your loved ones back? What would you sacrifice? What would you become?_

_And when they look at you, when they see what you've done.__..would they even recognize you?_

_Consider that question very carefully before you choose to proceed, young huntsman._

_Can you really trade a life, even the life of a criminal, for the woman you love?_

_Have you not considered letting her rest in peace?"_

_~?_

**Just Close Your Eyes **

_"Are you prepared?"_

Jaune Arc was about to make a deal with the devil.

There could be no redemption for what he was about to do tonight. No explanation given to his comrades would ever wipe away this singular sin. There would be no way to defend himself. No path back from this atrocity. This line once crossed, could never be taken back. Some might call him scum for this. Selfish, even. Perhaps he was. Regardless, it would mark him forever.

Eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth. Evil for evil. _And a life for a life._

Jaune looked Naruto dead in the eye and nodded as he shook his hand. He handed him the prisoner, a wanted rapist taken from the dungeons of Haven, and let the blond begin his work with the man. He did not attempt to kill any of the men and women surrounding him, though he longed to do so. Vengeance. Justice. Redemption. He took these emotions and buried them deep within himself, refusing to rise to the bait placed before him, no matter how tempting it might be. For her. For Pyrrha.

Yet. All the while. She. Watched. Him.

Cinder Fall -MURDERER!- loomed over him with that infuriating smile of hers. He could feel her eyes -why did she have both of them again?- scorching a hole into his back Even now, her very presence threatened to send him spinning into paroxysms of rage all over again. How he longed to strike her down. To skewer her with his blade. It was only the knowledge that he was outmatched that kept Jaune from drawing his sword. That, and greed. Also greed. Lots of greed. After all, he couldn't save Pyrrha if he died here.

Something told him Naruto wouldn't be so kind as to revive him a second time.

And what in blazes was Torchwick doing over here? Ruby said he was dead. He didn't look dead.

"What's wrong, Jaune~?" Gods, he almost wished Cinder hadn't remember his name. "You look frightened."

Ignore her. he chanted the word like a mantra. _Don't rise to her bait. She wants you to lash out. She can't attack if you don't give her an excuse._

He grit his teeth and refused to look at the fire witch, knowing what he'd find there. Someone had healed Cinder since he'd seen her last; gone was the grisly black eyepatch and the hideous twisted arm she'd shown them back in Haven. She was entirely human once more. That just made it worse. She was just as he remembered her back in Beacon. Just before she'd KILLED...!

A shuddering gasp fled from him and he bit his lip until he tasted blood in his mouth. It brought him back.

Just was well too; because Cinder was merciless in her verbal assault.

"You want to kill me, don't you?" she circled around him until she was facing him. "I can see it in your eyes. You don't just hate me, Jaune. You _loathe_ me." her hand came up under his chin, lifting it just so. "You want to take that sword of yours and ram it through my chest. Good." she patted his cheek. "Hold onto that hate. It will make you strong."

Jaune wrenched his chin away and shivered, not with fear, but rage. Control it. Suppress it. Don't let her win.

In the end, his tongue betrayed him. "You shouldn't be alive...!

"Technically speaking, I'm not." golden eyes narrowed as she leaned away. "I was bested by a greater foe. She slew me. I died. I was revived." those poisonous honeyed orbs drifted toward Naruto as he continued to work on the sealing array. "Just as your precious little maiden is about to be."

"But you're not a Maiden anymore, are you?" Jaune's mouth twitched. "You lost your power."

"That...is correct." Cinder scowled and he fought down a blaze of triumph. "Death stripped the might of the Fall Maiden from me."

A bitter laugh burst from him. "Good. Weakness suits you. I hope it hurts."

Her scowl deepened.

Oh, how he wanted to mock her further; jab her with the very words she'd used against him. For all her arrogance, Cinder had still lost her power. A power Ruby was even now beginning to master. She was a quick study. But he didn't dare tell Cinder that. Cinder _didn't_ know Ruby was the new Fall Maiden. If she learned the truth...he tried not think of it. The thought consumed him anyway. Qrow might be able to take her. Ozpin? The way he was now, maybe. But...but Ruby?

_If they fought, Ruby would die._

As if sensing that very thought, Fall smiled.

"Weak, am I? Is that what you truly believe, Jaune?" She dragged his name out slowly, purring the last syllable like a cat stalking a wounded mouse. To his horror, those molten orbs began to burn with golden flames once more. "Such a pity. You have been...misinformed."

"No." he muttered, shaking his head. It couldn't be. Ruby was the Maiden now. Not her. "That's not possible."

"What was lost can be reclaimed. With the Spring Maiden dead at my hand, I have power once again." to reinforce that very statement, she summoned a breeze of scalding air between them. "Power beyond anything your so-called "Invincible Girl" could have ever dreamed of." her hand clenched and the fire in her gaze guttered out harmlessly, taking the storm with it. "She's little more than a gnat to me."

Jaune barely heard her, his thoughts already whirling away from him.

No, no, no. The others didn't know. He had to tell them. Fighting a de-powered Cinder was one thing. But a Cinder wielding the might of the Spring Maiden _with _allies at her back? It would take all of them working together to even stand a chance, and victory wouldn't be a guarantee. If someone like Naruto sided with them...

They had to be told!

"You can try to kill me if you like." the Spring Maiden spread her hands wide, capturing his attention once more. "Look. I'm unarmed."

A lie, of course. Maidens were never truly unarmed. He'd learned that lesson the hard way. Ruby had already developed some nasty tricks. Cinder likely possessed many more. She knew how to use the Power. And yet. A faint ember of hope stirred to life. Roman and the others were hanging back for some reason. Naruto was busy with the ritual. He was close. Very close. He'd been training hard. He wasn't the same boy he'd been back in that last battle. He was stronger. Faster.

"Go on." Cinder cooed at him, sensing his hate. "This is your moment. You can be a hero, Jaune. With one swing of your sword, you can save everyone."

His hand snapped to the hilt of Crocea Mors.

"Cinder," Naruto called "Stop trying to bait the poor boy into attacking you. That's an order. I already told you, we're not killing him."

Her brow furrowed, but to Jaune's dismay, she backed down. "As you wish."

"Jaune." In the same breath he turned and leveled a flat stare at his fellow blond. "Touch her and you don't get Pyrrha back."

Just like that, the tension evaporated.

Arc sagged as a cold sweat came over him. His hand flew from his sword as if he'd been scalded. Cinder sauntered away with a wink and a smile That bitch. _The absolute bitch._ She wanted him to attack her, rather, she'd been _looking_ for an excuse to end him. She would have, too. If he struck first, she could claim herself justified in defending herself. He would have died for nothing.

Just like Pyrrha.

"Alright, its finished." Naruto stood up, stowed his tools and drew him aside. "I'll perform the jutsu in a moment, but first, lets have a little chat."

Jaune flinched. "Can...Can we just get this over with. I'm ready to leave."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Yeah, that's what I'd like to talk about."

His shoulders went tense.

Jaune never though he'd live to see the day Cinder obeyed someone, least of all an unassuming sort like Naruto. This man was evil. He had to be. Anyone who commanded Cinder Fall couldn't be anything else. He refused to even consider the alternative. Whatever he might pretend to be, he clearly wasn't a good person. He was probably working for Salem too. His mind latched onto that belief, false though it was. He wouldn't fall for this ruse! He wouldn't be deceived!

"I'd apologize for her, but that's just the way she is." Naruto began. "She's a work in progress."

Jaune bridled. "She's killed people!"

"As I said, a work in progress."

_"She destroyed Beacon!"_

"What do you want me to do, go to Vale and clear it out?!" the blond barked back at him. "No." his shoulders sagged. "I'm not condoning her actions by any means. She died for them. That's enough. She's only killed one person under my watch."

"The Spring Maiden, you mean." Jaune set his jaw.

"Yes, the Spring Maiden." a dangerous gleam burned in those mismatching orbs. "The Spring Maiden who worked with Salem to ambush us. She made her bed; we didn't start that fight."

"Are you saying you don't work for Salem?"

"Of course I don't work for her!" Naruto flung up his arms, and behind him, the campfire inexplicably flared. "I'm trying to avoid her!" a high, almost wild note flared in his words. "I'm trying to avoid Ozpin! I'm trying not to hurt anyone! But you people have made that impossible! I've got enough problems without some crazy magician and a madwoman making trouble for me and now YOU!"

Jaune recoiled, resolve hardening in his chest. "I don't believe you. You're lying."

_"Fool of a boy!" _For a moment, he thought the man might argue. He certainly looked like he wanted to. In the end, he shook his head. "If that's what you want to believe, then fine." he shrugged. "No skin off my back. Believe what you want. We're getting off topic here."

The boy leaped on it. "Cinder's a monster-

**"Jaune."**

It wasn't the word that turned Jaune's spine to ice; oh no, it was the look that followed. For in that brief moment, Naruto let the mask slip. His once friendly smile vanished, replaced not by a scowl, nor a growl, or even a howl. Just...nothing. A look so terrifying that the poor boy nearly soiled himself where he stood.

Exhaustion.

Here was a man who'd seen too much, done too much, and been hollowed out by it. A dying warrior holding back a beast, even as it devoured him.

**"I do not answer to Salem."** Naruto intoned, every word radiating an awful power. **"I do not answer to Ozpin. And I _certainly_ don't answer to the likes of a boy so green he pisses grass. Make no mistake, I'm only doing this as a courtesy, nothing more. I don't have to revive your friend. Cinder's right about that."** He tilted his head and a pit of black dread opened in Jaune's gut. **"The smart thing would be to kill you here and now, then leave your corpse for the maggots."**

His hand moved, settling on the boy's shoulder. A crushing weight followed it...

"Count yourself lucky that I haven't thrown my humanity away yet."

...and fell away as the whiskered warrior stepped back.

"If anything, I'm taking a very great risk by doing this." Naruto continued, still looking right through him. "The moment your friend's able to walk, you'll drag her back to Haven. To your friends. To Ozpin."

Jaune wanted to deny it, but his tongue betrayed him.

...yes."

"Oh, and there will be such a celebration!" the blond's voice turned sickly sweet, his smile brittle as glass. "But then the questions will come. How did you do this? How is she alive? Who raised her?" His finger switched directions, stabbing himself in the chest. "That will attract attention to me and mine, which means _we_ will have to leave. Because of you." He paused, letting the words sink in. "If we don't, there will be a fight. Ozpin will seek me out. People _will_ die. There's a reason I've been avoiding him."

The huntsman bridled. "We'd never kill in cold blood-

"You're right." Naruto nodded. "You won't. You're good kids. Guess who ain't."

Jaune's gaze drifted around the camp as the blond jerked a thumb over his shoulder, warily taking stock of the criminals within. Cinder. Emerald. Mercury. Roman. Neo. Hazel. They were all watching him. All six of them. Seven, if one counted Naruto as an enemy, and that was a can of worms he didn't want to open. He did the math in his head, grimacing at the others. With Qrow and Ozpin -and perhaps even Pyrrha!- they would outnumber them...but there was certainly something to be said for quality over quantity.

"The very _second_ I finish this ritual, we're leaving." Naruto informed him, crossing both arms before his chest. "I'll not say where. Better that way. You can explain this "Miracle" to your friends. There will not be another. I shouldn't have made that promise to you...

"But-

"Jaune. Shut. Up."

"I won't tell." He babbled.

"Oh?" a blond brow rose. "You'll keep it a secret?"

"I...I'll figure something out." His confidence wilted even as he said it.

Naruto shook his head. "Naive. Hard to believe I was ever that bad back in my day."

Jaune jumped. "What?"

"You're naive." the older blond spat the words aside with a wad of spittle. "You honestly think this is all going to work out, don't you? I don't know why I'm surprised. Just look at you." he gestured to his armor. "So sallies forth the brave knight! Good will triumph over evil! The hero will ride in and save the day! Ridiculous." he shook his head again. "Let me tell you something, the world doesn't exist in shades of black and white like you think it does." a finger jabbed him in the nose. "The world is grey. You don't know what to do with grey. So here's what _you're_ going to do for _me."_

Jaune gulped.

"Tell them we went to Vale." his fellow blond demanded. "Send your friends on a wild goose chase; it will give me and mine a head start. That's all I ask of you."

"You mean you don't want the lamp?" the words tumbled out before he could hold them back._ No! Bad tongue! Traitorous tongue!_

Mismatching eyes of azure and violet locked onto him like a heat-seeking missile.

"Lamp?" He blinked, frowned, then shook his head. "You mean the Relic of Knowledge?" A dangerous gleam shone in his eyes for all of a moment before he suppressed it. "Tempting...but no. I can only think of one thing to ask it, but I don't know how to use it. I was never told. Do as I've asked, and we'll call it even."

This man knew too much; the casual way he spoke of Ozpin suggested...unpleasant things. Had they met before? Been allies once upon a time. Maybe. Unlikely. But what were they now? He didn't know what to believe, and so the truth eluded him once more. A tiny grain of sand turned to glass in his heart.

"I can't just lie to them...

**"I'M BRINGING A DEAD WOMAN BACK TO LIFE FOR YOU!" **the words thundered out at him. **"You! Owe! Me!"**

Jaune's pride crumpled like a wet paper bag and his head drooped. "I'll...I'll do it...just...bring her back."

Naruto sighed. "Getting too damn old for this, Jaune...

An arm locked around his wrist and dragged him back to the clearing. Jaune couldn't have broken away even if he wanted to. In short order he found himself dragged away to face the music. Or Pyrrha, as it were. His heart twitched painfully at the thought. That's right. He'd made a deal with the devil. They could curse him all they liked for this.

He came back to find them squabbling. Whatever it was, they clammed up the moment they saw him.

"Done with your little bonding session?" Mercury quipped, wearing a saccharine grin.

Naruto twitched. "Emerald, sweetie? Could you do me a favor?"

The illusionist perked up like an eager. "Yeah, dad?"

"Slap your brother. Slap him _hard."_

Red eyes narrowed. "Happily."

Jaune nearly choked on his own spit. Dad?! No, that was absurd. Naruto couldn't have fathered these two. They didn't look a damn thing like him. And yet...now that he saw it, everyone in the camp clearly deferred to him for reasons he couldn't understand. Even the normally stoic Hazel and Cinder looked on with fond smiles. It almost made them look human-NO. His mind clamped down on that thought and tried to throttle it to death even as it took root in his heart. No. Not human. Monsters. Murderers.

Mercury choked for a different reason as Emerald advanced on him. "Now wait just a second, Em. Lets not do anything rash...

"Why slap him when you can just throw him in one of your illusions?" Cinder pointed out and for a moment, just a moment, she looked like a mother. "It would be good practice for you."

"Traitor!" the assassin cried. "Favoritism! Some mother you are_-gack?!"_

"Children, the lot of them." Naruto sighed. "We've stalled long enough. Cinder, take the others and pull back. She's going to react poorly to this."

"Very well. We'll stay close, however."

Once again, Jaune looked on helplessly as she and the others retreated into the trees.

Naruto barely spared them a glance. "Here goes."

His hands blurred away from Jaune and slapped into a series of signs and symbols the younger blond couldn't even begin to comprehend. The jutsu's victim woke just in time to realize what was happening. It availed him naught. Wide eyes bulged as he thrashed in his restraints. Too little. Too late. Strands of ashen paper wove themselves around the body of the killer and swallowed him whole.

"Step one, complete." Naruto hummed, clapping his hands.

Just like that, the ash fell away, revealing a familiar face. Dull emerald eyes blinked back at Jaune, framed by a pale face and startling red hair. But it was all wrong. Her face was fractured and cracked, her smile distant and vacant. Lifeless. Like an empty doll without a soul. Here at last, Arc felt regret. No. No, this wasn't right.

Her mouth opened, but no words came.

"What did you do?!"

"Hush." Naruto reprimanded him. "Now comes the second step."

Even as Jaune sputtered and spat, his erstwhile ally stepped around the Invincible Girl and pushed a tag into the back of her neck. Her flesh opened easily for him as his arm dove in to the wrist. With a small shudder, she fell forward, catching herself. Her skin regained a healthier hue, and while it still wasn't natural, there could be no denying the light in her eyes when she raised her gaze. There was warmth there, but it was tempered by a second emotion, one he knew to be guilt.

"Oh, Jaune." she shook her head at him, ponytail swaying behind her. "What have you done? I didn't want to come back like this...

Emotion choked down his voice. "Pyrrha...!"

"None of that." Naruto flicked the girl's forehead, eliciting a glower from her. "I didn't bring you back for a pity party. This young man sacrificed someone to bring you back to life. He traded another soul for yours. Criminal or not, that action has weight. The least you can do is thank him. He'll live with the guilt of this for the rest of his days."

Pyrrha's mouth opened and closed wordlessly for another moment. "Who are you...?"

"Someone who wants to get this over with. _Now for step three."_

Before anyone could think to stop him, Naruto swiftly circled the redhead and reached down for her, cupping her head in his hand. The motion was so reminiscent to what Cinder had done back in Beacon that Jaune nearly pounced on him for it. Yet no flame came. Instead, mismatching eyes of cold blue and rimmed violet _pulsed with unholy light. _Pyrrha Nikos cried out. Not in pain. But surprise.

**"Rinne Tensei."**

All the world shifted. There could be no other word for when Naruto spoke. With a smoldering hiss, the earthen cracks in Pyrrha's face began to close as. Her eyes burned just a little brighter, a dull creature of clay and ash no longer, but now flesh and blood once more. It was the work of moments. He pulled his hand away and this time, when she fell, Jaune darted in to catch her. Naruto allowed it.

Now it was his turn to be mute.

Words betrayed him, leaving his tongue dead and still in his mouth. There was so much he wanted to tell her. So much he longed to say, but emotion overwhelmed him. In the end, all he managed was a ragged sob. Bitter tears stung at his eyes, bitter-yet-sweet all the same.

He felt a small, shaky smile bloomed on lips as her face pressed into his shoulder.

_"I'm home."_ she murmured. "But I don't understand. Where am I? What happened...?"

"He'll tell you later. I've upheld my end of the bargain." Naruto slashed a hand through the air. "Leave. Get out. You have to hurry. Before-

"Jaune Arc!" a harsh voice boomed into the clearing._ "What have you done?!"_

Kaguya's jailer blew out a sigh.

_"Before that happens."_

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_"What have you done?!"_

Naruto wasn't caught off guard when Ozpin burst from the trees to confront them. He knew it wasn't an ambush -indeed, he would have sensed such- but an intrusion. He'd been aware of his approach for quite some time now; to that effect, he tried to hasten the ritual and send Jaune on his way to prevent this very event. He'd even ordered Cinder away for that very reason. A small part of him wanted to hope it would be enough; that the meddling man would know better. That hadn't been enough. He'd feared as much. Really, he should've known better. Destiny was rarely so kind.

_Damnit, Jaune._

"What. Have you. Done." Ozpin repeated.

In his last host, the great and mighty Ozma might have proven intimidating. Right now? The form of Oscar Pine didn't much suit him and it was terribly difficult to be frightened by a prepubescent boy...even if Ozpin could turn said boy into a deadly instrument of destruction. He looked absolutely furious and had every right to be. One of his students had just committed the blackest of heresies. After all, the dead were meant to stay dead, and Jaune Arc had willingly traded one soul for another to _break _that most sacred of edicts.

"He made a fair exchange with me." Naruto couldn't resist twisting the knife while he could, if only to make his adversary squirm. "He gave me a soul and I brought back his beloved in exchange." Oh, how Pyrrha _flushed_ at that. But she didn't deny it. Sweet girl. Jaune was lucky to have her. They'd be good together...assuming they survived the next five minutes.

Jaune wilted. "Sir, I-

"No." Ozpin silenced him with a snarl. "Not a _word_ from either of you. We will speak of this when we return to Haven."

Pyrrha set her jaw. "Headmaster, that's not fair!"

"Why not let them have their say?" Naruto offered. "Their opinion might surprise you."

Here at last, Ozma rounded on him. "Silence, abomination! I should slay you where you stand!"

"If you can kill me, by all means. Try." an ember of curiosity -of hope!- burned in his chest as he spread his arms, leaving himself defenseless. "Go ahead. Strike me down now, and I'll become more powerful than you can possibly imagine."

There was no hesitation.

Three strikes slammed into his face. One shattered his jaw. The second took his eye. The third killed him. Ozpin's cane slammed into his throat at an angle and broke his neck, sending the blond's head lolling dangerously to the right. It was a good hit. Vicious. Efficient. Clean, even, in as clean as killing could be. Anyone else would have perished on the spot. Naruto remained standing, calmly reached up, and reset his head with an audible crack.

"You cant kill me either." hope died a withering death as the rest of his injuries healed. "How sad. I thought you were a wizard."

_"Demon!"_

"So we've fallen back on insults again, have we?" A blond brow rose in abject scorn. "This coming from the old man possessing a boy's body. You remind me of Orochimaru. At least I'm honest about what I am. You just parade around snatching bodies every time you die."

"Irrelevant. I'm not the one perverting the cycle of life and death!"

Kaguya cackled in the back of his head, pleased by the pain the words brought.

"True." Naruto sighed. :And unlike you, I'm not alone." He snapped his fingers. "You shouldn't have come. For what its worth, I didn't want things to go this way, but you've forced my hand."

He heard the brush rustle behind him, watched the immortal's gaze widen. All part of the plan. Cinder knew better than to retreat too far; she'd come running the moment he sent out a pulse of chakra. Ozpin's eyes grew wider still as Hazel stepped up to flank him. By the time Neo and rest emerged, he looked almost resigned.

"I see." his shoulders slumped. "You're working for her after all. This was foolish of me."

"Foolish indeed," Cinder purred, moving to Naruto's right. "You must've gone senile in your old age."

"YOU!"

At the sight of her, Pyrrha jolted upright and thrashed out of Jaune's arms. Roman found her even as she reached for her sword, slamming into her back. Her sword bore through his chest and he accepted it with a laugh, bearing her to the dirt with his bare hands alone. The Invincible Girl balked, unable to understand why her blade failed to kill him. Jaune slammed into the ground a moment later as Neo found him. He put up even less of a fight.

"What devilry is this?!"

"Oh for the love of me...!" Naruto twitched. "No. I'm not working with that witch, and I'll thank you not to compare me to her!"

"And yet the company you keep says otherwise." Ozpin's gaze found the Relic of Destruction at Cinder's waist. "Ah. So Shade has fallen, then? Unfortunate. It will take decades to undo the damage you've done." His gaze switched to Roman a moment later, taking in his unnatural eyes and his even now healing body. "And you, Roman. I expected better of you." Ozpin sighed. "You held such promise. Now you've made yourself a monster."

Spit slammed into his face. "Two words for you, prof. Mountain Glenn."

The sage flinched. "Fair enough."

"He has the relic." Cinder whispered in Naruto's ear and his gaze settled on the Lamp at his waist. "We should take it. The rest-

"Will not be gathered up after this by any means." Naruto leveled a harsh glare at her, eyes immediately straying to the sword still bound at her hip. "Its bad enough that we have Destruction while they've _apparently_ found Knowledge. All we need now is Creation and Choice, then we'll have a regular godly jamboree down here on Remnant!" he flung up his arms with a bitter laugh. "Sure, let the brother gods come. Why not?! I'm already trying to commit deicide with one goddess and possibly another. The more the merrier!"

"You sound angry." Emerald hedged.

"WHAT GAVE IT AWAY?!

Ozpin blinked. A strange, almost bitter expression settled across his visage. Perhaps he'd been foolish. Perhaps he'd made a mistake. Perhaps he was simply getting old? Who could say. Regardless, he'd made a foolish decision in coming here. Doubtless he'd expected to face Jaune and maybe one other person. Not Cinder. Not Hazel. Certainly not the rest of their allies. He hadn't even known they were here. Now that he did, however, well, that complicated things.

A fighting retreat wouldn't be enough. Surely he knew that. Even with the three of them.

Worse, Jaune and Pyrrha were all but incapacitated.

Naruto's gaze stayed back to the Lamp. That was what the Relic of Knowledge looked like? It seemed...smaller than he expected. Such a little thing. It might hold the answers to destroying Kaguya once and for all. If not, then it could surely provide inside on how to rid himself of her once and for all. He'd never been able to get into the Vault before, but now? With it dangling here before him? How many questions did it have left? One? Two? Three? It had to have at least one, else Ozpin wouldn't keep it on his person at all times. He'd been a fool to bring it here.

It was just too tempting. He couldn't resist.

Oscar's face twisted in confusion and fear. Naruto stamped down the pity he felt.

He knew he could use Jaune and Pyrrha as hostages. Reason dictated he should. They were no good to him dead, and he had no reason to kill them. But would Ozpin trade the lamp fore them? No. He would never give up the Relic. Not even for them. Here was a man who would make any sacrifice, no matter how terrible, so long as it ensured victory. He'd sooner die than hand over the Lamp. And so they would serve another purpose. Not as sacrifices, but as bargaining chips in another sense.

Still, Naruto felt he owed it to himself to at least try and be sensible about this.

"I'm sorry." Slowly, he shook his head and held out his right hand. "But seeing as you've all but brought it to me...I'm gonna have to ask you to surrender that Lamp." when the immortal made no move to relinquish it, his fingers cured into a claws. "I have questions for your little friend."

Ozpin drew back. "You shall not have her."

A blond brow rose in mild irritation. _"I wasn't asking. Cinder."_

The Spring Maiden scoffed and advanced upon him. Ozpin fought hard. It wasn't enough.

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS. ****Else, you might be horribly confused. Wouldn't want that, would we?**

**Well, you were warned.**

**Ozpin, you twit! What were you thinking?!**

**We've got some major events coming up; and they're going to shake the world. It all revolves around three players. ****Salem wants her kids back. ****Naruto wants Kaguya gone for good. ****Ozpin...poor Ozpin just wants to rest. But that won't be happening. The Gods won't let him.**

**Speaking of which, I need to sleep. I've updated all my RWBY fics in a single month. Sooooo...tired...**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!  
**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY!  
**_

_**YE BE WARNED!**_

**Read at your own risk!**

**SURPRISE.**

**(Preview)**

_He couldn't die here. He was needed. There was still so much to do...!_

* * *

_The letter was a simple one, written in an elegant hand that Cinder knew all too well._

_"You are a cordially invited to dinner the Grimmlands, necromancer._

_~Warm regards,_

_Salem._

_Naruto regarded the words like a snake. "What are the chances I can turn this down...?"_

* * *

_"How do I destroy Kaguya?"_

* * *

_"You're going to get me pregnant at this rate." _

_He granted her a lazy grin from the sheets. "Would that be so bad?"_

_"Yes. I'd be a terrible mother. _

_"Emerald doesn't think so."_

_...shut up."_

_Her hips ground against his, her head tilting back as she rode him into oblivion._

* * *

_She'd made her decision, she realized. The power would be hers. Fall, Winter, Summer. Cinder cared not in what order she acquired them. Only that she did. __Spring was not enough. She knew that now. She wanted be stronger; no, needed to be stronger. __But this time, that strength wasn't for herself. That strength was for another. __If she didn't find that strength soon, Naruto would die._

_And...well. She just couldn't allow that._

**R&R~!**


	11. Life is Just a Journey

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

**EDIT: If the site doesn't let you review at first, or you get a network error, keep trying/refreshing until it works. The site's gone glitchy.**

**Trust me, it WILL work eventually. It just takes a bit.**

**First, please ignore any grammatical errors. Still recovering from surgery over here. Tried to make it long as possible though, so I do hope you enjoy it, dear reader.**

**Second! Remember, work of fiction here. Lets all just relax and enjoy it, yeah. Still, t****hat said...brace yourselves. That's all I'm going to say. This chapter's an intense one; worked real hard on it despite the crippling pain I'm in right now. ****Nooow then, time for the questions!**

**Q: Is Naruto the villain here?**

**A: Once again. Naruto is not. The bad guy in this story. Despite some of his more morally grey choices, he's done his best to stay of Ozma and Salem's radar. Of course that's clearly changed now, but the original sentiment remains. If he WANTED to he could have wiped Salem and Ozpin off the map. Instead he chose to hide, lock himself away from the world and live in isolation for the sake of others. But now he's been pushed past his tipping point; because Kaguya wants out, and she doesn't care about collateral damage.**

**He's not hiding anymore. He can't. He doesn't have time to. ****Remember dear reader, the more he uses his power, the easier it is for Kaguya to take control. He's a ticking time bomb, one that might go off again at any given moment.**

**Q: Do you hate Ozpin?**

**A: WHAT?! No! ****Oddly enough, he's one of my favorite characters. If anything, this is one of the few tales where he's genuinely an adversary of Naruto. Not saying a bloody THING about Kiss of Death yet. I've got a few surprises in store there. But I won't have folks thinking I hate Ozma.**

**Here, I'll even make a list:**

**An Untraveled Road? Wary acquaintances. They don't know one another. ****Remnants of a Shinobi? Naruto's questioning Oz and his secrets, but he doesn't hate him. Hell, Ozma's all but ALLOWING him to take the lamp. ****Rags to Riches? Nonfactor. ****Wolf in Sheep's Clothing? Nope. They're allies.**

**New Gods of Remnant. Haven't met yet.**

**Everybody Loves Cookies? Old friends. Partners In Crime? Haven't even met yet. Klling Monsters? Oz is more of a kindly grandfather in one. Just A Bit of Bread? Well! Would ya look at that?! ALLIES! Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover? The very best of friends, though I suppose that'll be a spoiler. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the gist. **

**I. Do not. Hate. Ozma. If anything, I pity him.**

**Q: So is Cinder good now, or...**

**A: She's complicated. If last chapter didn't make things abundantly clear, this one will. Cinder isn't a goody two shoes. She may be a bit more mellow than her canon counterpart at present, and even found herself slowly falling in love, but this is the woman who destroyed Beacon, killed Pyrrha, and would have done much worse if she hadn't run into the living roadblock known as Naruto. ****She likes to taunt her enemies. She mocks them. Then she breaks them.**

**Ironically, Naruto's made her a better mother to Emerald and Mercury, so I suppose that counts as an improvement. All hail Mama!Cinder and long may she reign!**

**Q: SALEM WHEN?!  
**

**A: Salem...eventually. Time will tell what happens to her.**

**Q: He's going to summon the gods, I just know it. Don't you do it!**

**A: What? No. No, no, no. Naruto has no desire to fight the Brother Gods, but he will if he must.**

**Now then, lets get ready. Set! Go! Once again, chapter title is part of the lyrics from the song "All Things Must Die."**

**As ever, I own no references, themes or memes!**

**And so, with that said...away we go~!**

_"I still remember the feel of sunlight on my skin. The scent of favorite foods. __Smell. Touch. The color of my first love's eyes. The laughter of children playing underfoot. Yet you call me a villain, Ozma? __You misunderstand everything. __To be free of Kaguya, to experience those simple pleasures again, to live a normal life...would be worth anything._

_To you, I am a monster. Perhaps you're right. Be grateful then, that this monster is holding back the devil herself."_

_~?_

**Life is Just a Journey**

_Jaune was missing, and Ozpin with him._

It was all so sudden, so unexpected, that Qrow didn't know what to do.

Not a note, not a word, not a nothing. Just...gone. Damnit, this had his semblance written all over it.

Team JNPR was up in arms about the whole kerfuffle, which meant his darling nieces and their teammates weren't far behind. Everyone wanted to go out and search for the two of them. Under normal circumstances, Qrow would've let them hare off and go find them. But in the middle of the night? On a new moon? With a storm coming? Nope. Not happening. Honestly, it was like herding cats. Really he had half a mind to take wing himself, track those two down, thrash them within an inch of their lives and smack 'em both upside the head besides! What were they thinking?!

No one was! That was the damn problem!

He knew 'ol Blondie wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but _surely_ he knew better than to haring off in the middle of the night like this. And more fool Oz for chasing after him! Shit like this reminded him of Raven. Of better times. Happier times. Before the fall of Beacon, before Summer's death, before so many things. He wasn't used to leading. Summer had always done that back on Team STRQ, and Ozpin after her. Now he found himself in charge and for the life of him, he didn't know what to do. It was a frightening thought.

They were furious with him; of course they were. He'd coralled them in their their rooms for their own safety. They'd thank him come morning.

_"Run, Qrow!"_ a sudden voice hissed in the back of his head, nearly startling him out of his skin. _"Take the kids and run! NOW!"_

A cold hand settled on his shoulder. The drunken huntsman spun and cast a glance over his shoulder only to find naught but empty air. A shiver stole over him; despite what he'd said earlier, he found himself reaching for his flask. Empty of course. Just as it had been for the last hour now. Still, where in blazes had that voice come from? It almost sounded like...nah. That couldn't be it. He'd had too much to drink. Hadn't he? But for a sliver of a second, for a moment there, he could've sworn he heard...

"Nah." he muttered, shaking his head. "Gotta be hearing things."

He gazed out the window into the coming storm; felt a misty wind caress his cheek, then it was gone. When he inhaled the faint scent of smoke and ash filled his nose. No surprise that. Flames danced in his eyes, not from a nearby candle was one might expect, but a far deadlier source altogether. A scowl plucked at his mouth.

_Because the forest was burning._

Qrow knew it wasn't going to last much longer; the coming storm would douse the blaze before it could spread to the city; moreover there weren't any villages nearby, so there wasn't any risk to human life. None that he knew of. And yet this strange, nebulous feeling of cold arctic dread persisted. He felt restless. Agitated. What he'd just heard hadn't helped. He needed to move. Run. Fly. Something. Anything.

"Was that you, Summer?" he muttered. "Or am I imagining things?"

"Um...?" A voice tugged him back to reality. _"Uncle Qrow...? Who're you talking to?"_

Qrow's, already hammering heart nearly leaped out of his chest as he rounded on the sound.

"Ruby? What're you doing out of your room?"

"Zapped the lock." His niece raised her right hand. As she spoke a spark skittered between her fingers, shot down her wrist and vanished into her sleeve. Damn Maiden powers. Why had they gone to her? She'd be hunted forever for them. Or turned into a weapon. No. Not that. Anything but that. He wouldn't let it happen. He'd keep her safe. He would keep all of them safe. Every last one of them. He swore it. He had to.

"Jaune," she swallowed, steeling herself. "Jaune's coming back, right? Ozpin will find him, won't he?"

Qrow wanted to say yes. But he couldn't. the words stuck in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to answer, and she knew it.

"I dunno, kiddo...

Ruby dithered for a moment, kicking one foot against the other like the restless child she was. Without warning she vanished in a cloud of red petal and slammed into his side. Qrow grunted in mild pain, but caught her all the same. From there she tucked her head into his chest, stifling a whimper. He felt her tears against his jacket before he heard them.

"It feels like everything's falling apart." she whispered. "Jaune's been acting weird, I'm still struggling with this power, and now...

Something snapped. "Can't believe I'm doin' this..."

"Eh?"

Ruby blinked up at him as he pulled away. She tried to cling on, but he gently disentangled himself from her. Even as fresh tears gathered in her eyes, he dipped down and planted a hand on her head. He couldn't let her live her life in fear. Not like Raven. That was no way to exist.

Gods above, he hoped he wasn't making a mistake. "Go wake your friends up. We're going on a hunt."

Ruby blinked again. Once. Twice. Thrice. Realization dawned.

Then latched onto his arm like a limpet.

_"Bestuncleintheworld!"_

"Just relax, kiddo." He patted her head as she darted away. _"Wherever he is, whatever he's doing, I'm sure Ozpin's got a plan."_

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

To his credit, Ozpin did have a plan._ Survive._

Downright brilliant really.

Simple, too.

Unfortunately, his opponent was rather _opposed_ to said plan. Very much so. He'd tried to run long ago; to cut his loses and retreat back into the trees. She hadn't let him. Relentless like the storm itself, she hounded him through the trees, dogging his every step. There was no chance to escape, no opportunity to break away. His every offense was stymied, any attempt at defense obliterated. And he had no one to blame but himself. Pride proved his undoing. Arrogance threatened to annihilate everything he'd worked so hard for.

His eyes stung with stale sweat. His lungs burned. His muscles screamed, begging for rest he couldn't afford to give.

He'd been a fool to come here; he realized that now. But who could have predicted this? Who would've thought the enemy was so close; nevermind that they'd managed to seduce one of his own students? Not he. Ozpin had made many mistakes in his lifetime. Chasing after Jaune Arc _alone_ was swiftly proving to be among the worst.

Frost crept at his feet and he leaped back with a hiss, desperate to place some much-needed distance between him and his foe.

"Poor, _poor_ Ozpin." a sensual purr echoed after him into the dark as he scrambled to safety. "What happened to all that bravado? Where did your confidence go?"

Where had his confidence gone? Right down the drain the moment _she _appeared. Cinder Fall emerged from the dark, lazily cradling a flame in her hand. It cast ever-shifting shadows across her wicked visage, lending her an almost monstrous appearance. Like a panther stalking her prey. He was very much the prey in this conflict. No matter how much he might wish otherwise. Blast it.

"I'm quite confident." he lied through his teeth as he supported himself on his cane. "You've fallen right into my trap."

Her smile flickered. "Is that so?"

"Quite. Did you really think I would be so foolish as to come alone?" Lie! Bullshit! Bluster! Anything to buy himself time! Qrow must have noticed his absence by now. He had to. Arc was eerily silent in Roman's grasp, to say nothing of his companion. Teams RWBY and JNPR might not be the battle hardened warriors he needed, but he'd take anything he could get right at the moment. Perhaps they could yet recruit that Illia lass or the Sun fellow and the allies they'd brought with them. Qrow _alone_ was worth three huntsmen in his own right.

He just had to hold out.

"I think not." Hazel rumbled suddenly with a grim grin of his own. "If you had reinforcements, they would've arrived by now."

"Hazel's right. He doesn't have any." the horned man- Naruto!- raised his voice. "I don't sense anyone."

Ozpin bit down on a curse. That one was the true threat here. His reluctance to fight gave Ozpin hope, however. He'd survived the first salvo thus far. Oscar's body might not be suited to a protracted battle, but he could dodge with the best of them.

"I'll enjoy killing you a second time, you wretched fool!"

Cinder swept out at him and he struck at her legs. Rather than dodge, she took the blow on one knee and sent him sprawling with a fresh plume of fire.

This time, her fingers managed to brushed the lamp before he could tumble to safety once more it away.

"I knew you were a foolish woman, but really, trading one master for another?" affecting his best disappointed expression the once-and-former headmaster shook his head as he climbed back to his feet. "Salem doesn't take betrayal lightly. She'll hunt you to the end of your days for this. You're nothing but an ant in her eyes."

An eye twitched quirked. Watch your words."

"Struck a nerve, have I?"

"Don't let him get to you!" once more, Naruto's voice cut through the misty haze as he called to her. "Stop playing with your food and get the lamp already. Or I will."

Irritation flashed through Cinder's gaze. Ozpin fought down a smile at the sight of it.

Ah yes, the relic. She hadn't gone all out against him for fear of destroying it, impossible though it was. But she didn't know that. Coupled with her fraying temper, he had a chance. He needed her angry. Furious, even. If she was blinded by wrathful rage, she would make mistakes. Mistakes might mean the difference between life or death tonight. The others were watching, but they had yet to interfere. Had they done so, this would have ended long. If it was just her, perhaps...maybe...!

_"Do we really want her angry?"_

Not at all, but it was his best chance to survive.

"You were nothing once, Cinder." Ozpin needled once more. "You'll be nothing again."

Golden eyes narrowed to thin slits of molter amber. _"Silence!"_

The heat spiked. It was his only warning.

Ozpin grit his teeth as Cinder shot forward in a howling streak of flame, raised his weapon and planted his feet, determined to intercept her once more. He had no choice. She'd just run him down if he fled. This time he paid dearly for it. Her blazing blades sheared another inch off his cane, smashed through his guard and caught him dead in the chest. A fresh trench seared itself into his coat as he found himself launched him into a tree. If it weren't for his Aura, he would have been cleaved in two; even then he felt his ribs creak ominously as they held.

_'Oh, dear.'_ he sighed fretfully. _'That's going to leave a mark.'_

Alas, the badly battered oak behind him was not so fortunate; Brittle bark burst beneath his back as his flight continued, tearing a dark swathe through the earth. Aura keened and screeched as his body skidded, twisted and bounced across the forest floor, plunging with each successive impact.

_"Do something!"_ Oscar bleated in the back of his head as they flew, a frightened boy unready to face such trials. _"She's going to kill us at this rate!"_

_"I will."_ the immortal reassured him. _"Have some faith."_

Pushing his mind to the forefront of their shared body once more, Ozpin caught a branch mid-tumble and swept himself up onto the bough of another tree. His battered weapon swung up, ready to bat away a blast of fire should it come, but it didn't. Ozpin lowered his cane. And he dared to hope. Had he finally lost her? Surely they were far enough away now. She wouldn't be able to catch them-

He turned and his face collided with Cinder's open palm. Bright eyes bulged.

"Running away, are we?" Burning golden orbs blaze down at him as an eerie glow swelled in her hand. "No, no, no. You don't get to flee."

Ozpin had all of an instant to shove his aura forward.

A torrent of flame burst from her hand and ripped him from his perch. He struck the earth like a falling star; the impact forced a cry of pain from him. This time Ozpin wasn't able to right himself in time; rather, he had no time to do so. Left with no choice but to trust in the strength of his faltering aura, he found himself drilled into the soil once more. Something cracked in his ear. It might've been his back. He wasn't sure.

Ozma had fought many powerful opponents across countless lifetimes. Cinder eclipsed all but one of them. And that one had been Salem.

He'd been stronger back then. Now he was merely a shadow of his former self. No matter how hard he fought, no matter how hard he pushed Oscar's body, it just wasn't enough. The gap between them was too great for him to bridge alone. Cinder outclassed him in every way. He had fallen to her in his last vessel that day; while she she was so much more than before. He'd only grown weaker since. Was she trying to kill him? If not, she was making a good show of it...

He staggered out of the crater she'd blasted him into, wasted and gasping for air. He couldn't die here. He was needed. There was still so much to do...!

_"Are we going to die?"_

"Not if I can help it, Oscar...

His host sensed the lie and despaired as he searched for Cinder once more. Ozma couldn't bring himself to condemn him for his fear. He was beginning to feel it, too. They couldn't win. It was galling to admit, but honor meant nothing here. Cinder was playing with him, exacting her vengeance for a grudge he couldn't understand. Meanwhile the others were watching, ready and waiting to intervene at the slightest provocation. He couldn't fight them all. A fighting retreat was their

A hand flew out of the dark, catching him by the throat.

Ozpin reacted instantly, bashing his cane forward into Cinder's face. Unlike his, her Aura held. She scoffed and lifted him from his feet.

"Look at you, wasted and gasping for air." her fingers tightened around his neck, scorching his windpipe with every breath. "But you don't get to go yet."

She slammed him down. Aura buckled. Bone fractured.

"When your legacy is in ashes," she snarled in his face, "When you've experienced the pain I have, _then_ you have my permission to die."

A whirling kick send him skidding back to the others. His back collided with Hazel's leg. The giant _snarled_ out and kicked him back toward Cinder, but beyond that made no effort to intervene. She retaliated viciously, cruel scalding fingers hooked into his side as she wrenched him toward her. With the other, she reached for the lamp. In a moment of primal panic he bucked against her and drove the back of his head into her chin as hard as he could, briefly stunning her. She reeled back and he _dove _forward, flinging himself to safety.

No more. His aura was nearly gone. This was no longer a sustainable battle.

_Sensing his darkening thoughts, Oscar protested. Of course he did. "What about Jaune and Pyrrha?"_

"That girl is not Miss Nikos. She cannot be." To admit otherwise was to step into the realm of the ubiquitous and unknown. This horned man could raise the dead. Who was here? Where had he been hiding? What did his presence mean for the world? Was he allied with Salem? He must be. The alternative was too absurd to consider...even if it was the truth. "I'm afraid we'll have to leave them behind."

He couldn't try to rescue them any longer _and _escape. It just wasn't feasible.

Oscar bristled all the same._ "Surely we're not going to leave them?!"_

Sacrifices must be made. They could not be allowed to have the lamp. Who knew what they might do with it? He dare not risk such a thing.

Hostage. He needed a hostage. A bargaining chip to ensure safe passage, something to buy time. Killing her was out of the question, but if they didn't want to see her harmed...

When Cinder came for him again he ducked under her arm and bolted towards Emerald. That one was the weakest by far; her hallucinations wouldn't be able to affect him. Roman and Neo were busy with their captives. Mercury and Hazel weren't close enough to stop him in time. And the horned man seemed reluctant to involve himself for reasons he didn't understand. Red eyes narrowed on him. Someone shouted.

**"Enough."**

And.

The world.

Quite simply stopped.

Ozpin shuddered, daring a glance over his shoulder to find the source of his sudden malady. What he saw there transfixed him. He beheld a transparent hand had plunging through his back, stabbing between his shoulder blades to find his chest. The pain was incredible. He wasn't sure who screamed first. And yet when he looked down, there was no blood. No wound. Not so much as a scratch on him. So, why, then? Why couldn't he move? Why was he in such agony?

_Why did it feel like he was dying?_

"Cinder," the horned man admonished, "I told you not to play with your food. He almost got Emerald just now."

"Tch." the Spring Maiden banished her blades and glared at the ground. "I underestimated the wizard. It won't happen again."

"You're right." Mismatching eyes regarded her coldly. "It won't."

Ozma felt something grasp his soul. He wasn't sure how he knew, only that he did. His soul. The very concept that defined his being. Not that of Oscar's. That, the horned man left well alone. His arm pulled and a strange, weightless sensation enveloped the old wizard. His vision narrowed, tunneling to a single pinprick of existence.

_"Ozpin?! What's happening?!"_

"You just _had_ to make things difficult." his tormentor sighed. "This will shave months off my lifespan. I hope you're happy with yourself."

Ozma scarcely noticed the words. He could no longer hear Oscar, but found he could still sense him nearby. Curious.

_Oh,_ he realized, looking up. _That's why._

Naruto hefted his arm and to Ozma's eternal dismay, his soul went with it. He fought, he struggled, he tried to cling on, but the force puling him prevailed. In a sudden rush of light and pain Oscar was left behind, locked in his own body. His screams cut off. Hazel knelt to inspect him, but the poor boy didn't move. He looked to have fainted...or gone catatonic shock. Were it not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, he might have thought the poor boy dead.

"I really hate doing this." Naruto was speaking to him now, but the words were faint and muted now, as though spoken from a great distance. "But you left me with no choice."

"Holy shit!" Someone -Mercury?- swore just out of sight. "Did you just...is that his soul?!"

Emerald whistled softly. "Didn't know you could do that...

Ozma tried to speak, tried to curse them, but he lacked the capacity for speech. His existence was comprised of a tiny blue sphere clutched in his enemy's grasp. So too did he lack the ears by which to hear, yet still they came through. He wished they hadn't. He was painfully aware of each moment he was outside Oscar's body; with each passing second so too did he feel himself diminish. This couldn't last. Aura was the soul, but without a body to affect the very world around it, what could a soul hope to achieve? Nothing. Nothing at all. If he wasn't tethered to something soon...

Mismatching eyes flicked past and over him. "Get the lamp."

"R-Right. Sure. On it." Mercury deftly plucked it from Oscar's belt. "Huh. Lighter than I thought it would be...

Panic began to mount in his soul. He tried to speak, to move, to do anything, but even motion was denied him. No! The questions! There were still two left! Jinn couldn't be used by them!

"Ah, so her name's Jinn, is it?" As if sensing his very thought, Naruto granted him a grim grin. "Thank you for that."

"There was a reason I never killed you, Ozpin." Those eerie orbs seared into his soul, rooting him with the weight of their gaze. "Not because I feared you; no, no, not at all." A small, bitter smile plucked at his whiskered cheeks. "You were never a threat to me." His fingers tightened and Ozpin choked wordlessly. "I needed you to maintain the balance. If someone were to remove you, then Salem would grow in power; without you, no one would be able to keep her in check. And I wasn't willing to take up that burden. But that time is over."

Pain rocked the immortal's soul as claws dug into his very essence.

"I could kill you." the horned man mused. "Here and now. It would be simple." another twitch, another spasm of pain. "A true death, one that would return you to the afterlife. You would be free of them. You might even thank me for it. All I have to do is close my fist." His palm tightened just so and Ozma cried out. "Just. Like. This."

Instead, he let go. Relief flooded back and Ozpin felt his soul shiver in his grasp.

"But I won't." the word escaped him in a growl. "I'm not like you. I'm greedy. I want to hold onto everything. Even my morals."

"You really should kill him." Cinder, ever the devil on his shoulder was quick to argue otherwise as she swayed her way to his side. Golden orbs regarded his fractured soul with keen interest. "So long as he roams free, you won't have any peace. Unlike those brats, there's a very real chance that he could make trouble for you in the future."

"Hmm." A lonely blue iris swung back to regard her. "Perhaps you're right...

Ozma's soul tensed, and though he lacked a mouth with which to form words, he felt fear all the same.

...but I won't kill him." he shook his head. "He'll only wish I did. Roman!"

The master thief stiffened. 'Yeah, boss?"

"Leave the kids with Neo." Mismatching eyes of blue and bloody violet narrowed. "And me a cage, would you kindly?"

An awkward paused pushed itself been living and undead. "What, you mean for the brats?"

"No." Funny how a single word could carry such weight. "Not for them."

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Salem dipped her quill into a small pot of ink.

With a quick stirring motion she withdrew the writing implement, set it to the parchment. She hesitated there, pale fingers quivering as she marshaled her thoughts. Steeling herself, she began to write. Words came easily to her. Too easily. There was so much she wanted to say. Too much.

Soon enough the steady _scritch-scritch-scritch_ of the quill filled her study. She lost herself in it.

Try as she might, she couldn't remember the last time she'd written a letter. It hadn't been recent, she was certain of that much. In hindsight it seemed like a such a silly thing; technology had rendered the pen obsolete to many these days. Silly humans. They would never learn The pen was mightier than the sword. Always had been. No need had she for Scrolls or Internet or any of that high-tech malarkey. For all her might and magicks, Salem preferred a more...mundane means of communication.

Time consuming though it might be, she knew what she wanted to say. It was merely a matter of framing the right words. One god to another.

And wasn't _that_ an interesting thought?

Just thinking of it caused her cold heart to beat again, and not for the reasons one might expect. She knew where this Necromancer resided. Mistral. If he could not be bested in combat -and from what she'd seen of Watts and Tyrian's failed escapade she knew that to be true- then she would find another way to treat with him.

Once again, not like that!

Perhaps it was selfish of her, but she had reasons of her own for extending the proverbial olive branch to this individual. She'd known what she wanted the moment she watched him raise the dead unto life. Not once, but twice! The first she could write off as a miracle. The second, a coincidence. Salem suspected there would be a third. Maybe a fourth. If he could bring back the dead...those gone from this mortal coil...

_Then that meant he could revive her daughters._

She could see the four of them in her mind's eye now, close enough to touch. They were more real than the curse that plagued her. How she longed to apologize to them, hear their voices, hold them tight in her arms. For so long she'd given up hope, knowing she'd never see them again. Now the temptation was there; she couldn't let it go.

Ozma could go suck a lemon for all she cared.

Her dungeon was full of miscreants to serve as her sacrifices. Criminals all, blighted souls stolen away from society by the Grimm.

Her missive complete, Salem rolled the parchment up and bound it with a crimson cord. From there she rose from her chair, opened a door and glided toward a waiting Nevermore on her balcony. The bird was nearly as large as she was tall, and it quailed not as she bound the message to its leg. This one was unique among its kind, built not for offense, but speed and endurance. She'd even afforded it a small modicum of intelligence for its task. Grimm did not tire. This one would not rest until it had completed it mission. No sacrifice was too great.

"Fly." she commanded of it. "Do not stop until your task is done."

The bird didn't so much beat its wings as it did blur; all but vanishing in a swirl of dark feathers. Within moments it was little more than a dark speck on the blighted horizon. Despite herself, Salem winced. Oh, dear. She might've made it a little too fast. Meh. Surely it would be fine. It wasn't as if it could reach Mistral that quickly. Its purpose was to deliver its message, then perish. Nothing more. Nothing less. By comparison, sacrificing a single Grimm to gain the Necromancer's attention was an easy gambit.

Salem would gladly give much more, burn entire cities to the ground if it meant the return of her children. Such was a mothers love.

And from that single overture...the wheel of destiny began to spin in reverse.

_This would change everything._

* * *

(.0.0.0.)

* * *

Oscar woke with a groan.

Really, it was a miracle he'd awoken at all. He remembered a hand stabbing through him and then...nothing. Nothing at all. Everything was blank. There was a strange numbness lingering in his upper torso; as if someone had hollowed him out and haphazardly stitched him back together. When he sat up, his chest itched painfully. He ran a singed hand over it, frowning silently.

"Finally awake, are we?"

And quite suddenly The Horned Man was simply _there,_ crouched down before him, his forehead pressed against his.

Oscar clamored backward with a yelp.

"Ozpin?!" he called out in the depths of his mind. "A little help?!"

Only silence answered him. He couldn't sense him. Couldn't feel him at all. Horror dawned. "What have you done?"

"What was necessary." his unlikely ally hummed. "Ozma's soul is no longer a part of yours. Congrats." A hand came down on his shoulder and gave it a little pat. "You're free."

Free? No. Impossible. Lies! Tricks! "Where is he?! What did you do to him?!"

"Why, he's right here...

Naruto's gaze strayed to a tiny box nestled at his hip. Roughly the size of a human fist, it was bound to his belt and wrapped with strange seals bearing odd runic script Oscar found he couldn't comprehend. Even now the corners of the metal shimmered a faint blue, as if something had lit them from within. A candle perhaps. No, something told him it wasn't that simple. Oscar already knew what -who!- he was looking at, and the realization terrified him. He wasn't even sure how he knew at all, only that he did, and he wished he hadn't.

Oscar grimaced. "Is he...in there?"

"In a sense." Naruto's gaze followed his, staring at the black box. "Right now, his soul is...I suppose you could say he's dreaming, for lack of a better word. Its a rather pleasant one." his tone remained amicable, almost as if he were discussing something trivial. "I've sealed him away. He'll be released once our business is concluded. Or I may simply keep him like this. Regardless, he'll be at peace."

Despite himself, the farmboy blanched. "Is he still a part of me?"

"No." the word denied him. "As I said, we'll take care of him until a certain...parasite has been dealt with."

Befuddled by his words, Oscar offered a slow blink. Parasite? If not Ozpin, then who was he talking about? "Who is...?"

"Don't say her name." a finger flicked his forehead, briefly stunning him. "Speaking it gives her power. She has enough already. In any case, Ozma will go to another soul. It won't be yours," Naruto clarified quickly when his expression turned ashen. "I've made sure of that. Whoever his next host is, it won't be you."

"But Salem-

"Will be dealt with by us." Naruto bit out. "Roman. Let the kids up."

The thief balked at his back. "You kidding me?! Are you sure that's a good idea?!"

"No, it isn't." the whiskered warrior blew out a sigh, "But these are children. They're blameless in this business of ours."

Oscar scowled at the criminal. "You heard him. Let Jaune and Pyrrha stand."

Silence reigned supreme.

"Bit of a problem there kiddo; blondie and red are out cold." He wasn't prepared for the laughter that followed. "Neo might've squeezed a little too hard."

A long suffering sigh answered._ "Neo."_

The mute offered an unrepentant shrug. Roman proved more verbose. _"Sorrynotsorry!"_

"I'll lend you a pair of shadow clones to carry them back to Haven." Naruto said instead. "Take them and go."

Oscar dithered. He couldn't help it.

"He's giving you a chance to leave, boy." Hazel's voice grated like an avalanche. "Take it while you can. You'll not receive another."

Oscar looked left. Oscar looked right. Oscar despaired. "I...what am I supposed to do now?"

"We. Don't. Care." Cinder's blazing gaze seared into him. "Start over. Live your life. Find a wife. Have children. Your part in this is over."

It would be so simple to do as they asked. Oscar felt temptation tug at him. He could just...walk away. Go back to the farm. Start over. Eke out the rest of his days in pleasant normalcy. If not for Ozpin, he never would have left in the first place. This wasn't his fight. They were right about that much. And yet to leave now, to just abandon Ruby and the others...it rubbed him the wrong way. He wasn't ignorant anymore; he knew their world was in danger. Could he really entrust it to a group of criminals...?

His jaw hardened. "I...can't do that."

"Even after all this, you're still going to stand in our way?" he saw the precise moment Naruto's pity hardened into bitter resolve. "So be it. Run away then, Oscar." He barely had time to flinch before a hand locked around his jacket. No deadly blow came. All he received was a firm shove that carried him back three steps. Those eerie eyes drilled into what remained of his soul. He felt hollow beneath their wretched gaze. "Run away from this place, and never return."

When he didn't move, Hazel gave him another shove. "You heard him, boy. Go. Pray we do not meet again."

This was it, then.

The future awaited him.

Oscar Pine marched forward to meet it.

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Naruto watched Oscar limp away into the woods and released a sign he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

Flanked by a pair of shadow clones -one to carry a slumbering Pyrrha and poor Jaune- the former farmboy crept back toward Haven under their watchful gaze. He'd not be doubling back anytime soon. More than that, he'd have some explaining to do when he returned in another life. In another life, he might've helped him with that. Now? He was too tired to care. This night had already dragged on longer than he would've liked and still there was no end in sight. They'd have to break camp and move soon, or risk retribution.

"You may regret that." Cinder touched her hand to his shoulder.

"I'll never regret sparing an innocent." He shook her off, took a deep breath, centered himself, and let it go. "Just let it be."

She looked like she wanted to challenge him on that; thankfully she demurred in the end. Instead her gaze fell to the Relic of Knowledge, now secure in Emerald's grasp. Naruto followed it.

"Emerald."

She perked up. "Yeah, dad?"

A small, bemused smile plucked at the corner of his mouth. "Give that here, would you kindly?"

She did as he'd asked. No hesitation. No glance at Cinder. Tan hands pushed the lamp into his palm. Naruto accepted it with a nod and considered it for a long moment. Such a little thing. Wars had likely been fought over this device People must have died for it. Knowledge was a terrible thing, after all. Many were willing to kill to attain the answers they sought.

This was the moment he had longed for.

In hindsight, the Relic seemed such a tiny thing, Naruto thought. If he'd had been aware of its purpose or powers, he might have spared himself a great deal of misery. But none of that mattered now. With this, he might have the shortcut he needed. Did the being within know of his world? Was her knowledge infinite? How many questions could she answer? Moreover, how many had been wasted?

"One way to find out...

"Wait, we're going to use it?!" Mercury sputtered wildly when he began to raise it. "Here?! Now?!"

"I'm tired of waiting for this. Any objections?" A blond brow rose when none answered him. "I'll be taking one of the questions, obviously. Does anyone have something they'd like to ask?"

Roman coughed. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you saying what I think you're saying? You're sharing it with us?"

"Well, yeah." he blinked. "You're family. So? Any takers?"

Neon shook her head.

"Nah." Roman waved a hand. "I'm good."

Emerald and Mercury exchanged an awkward glance. The latter found her voice first. "Once you get rid of Kaguya...you'll stay, right?"

"If I can, I will." he shrugged halfheartedly. "Can't really promises anything without knowing what'll happen." To live a normal lifespan and die a normal death...there was nothing in the world he wanted more. Eternity was too long, too painful to spend alone. With the wretched Rabbit Goddess removed he could finally rest in piece. Or pieces. He wasn't sure how his body would react to her removal. She'd kept his soul alive all these years, a hellish cycle of life like no other. Would he live once she was gone? Or would his body crumble to ash as the weight of forgotten years crept up on him?

He didn't know. Didn't care. He wanted an end to this.

Mercury must've sensed his thoughts; because he bridled as well. "Don't go dying on us, old man. You still owe child support."

A bitter laugh tumbled from his lips. "Brat."

Hazel was next in line and so Naruto's gaze sough him out.

"You promised me my sister." the stoic giant declared. "I have neither the want nor need for forbidden knowledge."

Finally, all eyes turned to Cinder.

"I...have no questions."

Everyone blinked.

"Is that so surprising?" she scoffed and blew a strand of raven hair from her healed eye. "I have everything I need. Under normal circumstances I would want to ascertain the identity of the Summer and Winter Maiden, but that can wait for the time being. It will make my inevitable victory all the sweeter." when that still wasn't enough, she tossed her head from side to side."If you expected a betrayal of some sort, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I cannot think of any meaningful inquiry beyond that."

"Well, alright then." Naruto blew out a sigh. "We'll make this quick. Make sure no one interrupts us."

Hazel and the rest closed ranks around him, forming a circle with him at the center.

Raising the Relic high, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Jinn!" he boomed! "I summon you!"

_And the relic answered him._

Azure smoke spilled from the lamp in his grasp, writhing to life.

From within that ethereal haze, a toweringly beautiful blue woman emerged, her shapely from wreathed in golden chains. Dark hair framed her face, as her eyes gleamed like twin amethysts. Roman whistled at the sight of her. Neo tilted her head all the way to the right and made a flattering gesture. Hazel's stoic silence turned to genuine awe. Naruto almost found himself mirroring it. This was different from chakra. This was magic on a worldly scale. Chakra couldn't seal a being like this away in a lamp.

_"Wonderful." _the being -Jinn?- cooed in a voice like warm honey as she stretched. _ "Its so nice to be free of that wretched thing, if only for a time."_

"Holy shit." Mercury gaped. "She's stacked."

Emerald viciously elbowed him.

"Oh, what the hell."

...why was she naked? Naruto nearly asked the question aloud and only narrowly bit his tongue in time. Wasn't she? She _looked_ naked. Even those strange golden chains seemed more decorative than anything else. Did the God of Light have a fetish for tall women wearing nothing but golden shackles? Did that make him an exhibitionist for finding her attractive? Nope. All the nope. Not going there!

As if reading that very thought, a slender brow rose.

_"I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge."_ a graceful smile tugged at her full lips as she placed one hand beneath her chin_. "I have been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I'm still able to answer **two** questions this era." _as they looked on her head tilted, regarding them as one would an amusing band of children._ "My, this is quite unusual. I do not see the old man among you, but I see one who is ancient all the same."_

She drifted forward, and Naruto nearly stepped back despite himself.

Time stopped. There could be no other word for it; all the colors of the world faded to grey, his allies turning stiff and silent around him.

_"A man out of time."_ The spirit hummed, all but pressing her forehead to his. _"No-from another world. Fascinating. I haven't seen one of your kind in eons." _Her eyes narrowed, seeing something she shouldn't have. _"Ah. And you've got quite the cancer hiding within you. Vicious little thing. I see her, as she sees me. I thought their kind extinct._

Naruto recoiled.

Kaguya hissed in his head.** "Witch!"**

_"I am not a witch. I am the spirit of knowledge."_ Jinn replied simply. _"I know all there is to know. Your species is known to me, just as any other."_

Shaking off such maudlin notions, Naruto stomped a booted foot and gathered his thoughts yet again. A thousand different questions bubbled up in him and he choked each of them down. Only one mattered. Only a single line of inquiry could possibly save what remained of his fractured soul. He could not -would not!- waste such an opportunity. This would be his vengeance. His redemption. His peace, at long last.

"I have a question for you." he began slowly, choosing his words with infinite care and painful precision. "I'd like you to answer it, if you can."

_"Very well."_ Jinn granted him a nod._ "Tell me then, death-dealer. What knowledge do you seek? Ask of me, and I shall answer."_

Naruto blew out a breath, steadied himself, and raised his gaze. Now or never, then. "How do we defeat Kaguya?"

Time snapped back and all the colors of the world flooded back in.

Jinn gazed down at him for a long moment before she gave him her answer._ "You cannot..._

Despair. It hit Naruto like a physical force, driving him to his knees. His first instinct was to lash out, to deny her, but the truth of her words was too powerful. She knew things about him that she shouldn't. Couldn't. If she broke the truth here...hearing it broke him. Shattered his spirits and every hope he'd dared to clutch close to his chest. Was this his fate? Was he destined to die, his soul consumed by Kaguya? No. Not like this. He didn't want to die like this. _Not like this._

A frustrated scream built in his throat...until the genie pivoted and pointed to Cinder.

The Spring Maiden blinked, eyes wide. Jinn's reply all but damned her.

_...but your lover? She can. She, and The Girl In A Lonely Tower."_

Naruto _slammed_ back to his feet, seized Cinder by the shoulders, and crushed her against him. She didn't resist; if anything her pinched expression told him everything he needed. She knew what -who?- Jinn spoke of and more. What followed only served to confirm his suspicions. Lonely Tower. No, the Girl in the Lonely Tower. Who was that? Why did it sound so damnably familiar...?

He pulled back, gazing at her. "Do you know who she's talking about? Who's this girl in a tower? Is it who I think it is?"

"Tower?" Emerald perked up.

Mercury frowned. "Wait, doesn't _Salem_ live in a tower-

Not a heartbeat later, a bolt of black came crashing down from the heavens.

_"Screeeeeeeeeee!"_

With a might shriek, an arrow of purest white and ebony shot through Jinn's incorporeal being and slammed into the ground at their feet, causing everyone to jump.

"Bloody hell." Roman clutched at his heart. "Is that what I think it is?"

Hazel sighed. "Unfortunately."

Somehow, the impact didn't kill the Nevermore outright; though its beak lay wedged into the ground and its body was left hideously contorted by the sheer force of the impact, it offered a raspy croak of pain and raised its right leg towards. To no one's surprise, there was a letter bound to the spindly limb. A still-stunned Cinder stumbled away from him and plucked it free from the bird's mangled leg. Everyone crowded in around her. Sure enough, the letter was a simple one, written in an elegant hand that she knew all too well:

_Dear Necromancer,_

_I hope this letter finds you well._

_I would like to apologize for my recent attack on your personage._

_Furthermore, it has come to my attention that you possess a rather...unique set of skills. _

_As such, you are a cordially invited to dinner in the Grimmlands three days from now at these coordinates. Do bring your friends, won't you?_

_~Warm regards,_

_Salem. Queen of the Grimm._

Naruto regarded the words like a snake.

"What are the chances we can turn this down...?"

"Slim to none." she replied immediately. "She's rather stubborn."

"Tch." The blond slapped a hand to his forehead. "This just isn't my night."

Jinn clicked her fingers impatiently._ "Do you not have another question for me?"_

"Hmm?" he was so exasperated he'd nearly forgotten about her. "Oh, we don't have one. You can stick around if you like."

For the first time since she'd been summoned -perhaps for the first time in her very existence- the Spirit of Knowledge didn't answer him immediately. Struck silent by his words, Jinn nevertheless blinked, long eyelashes fluttering in naked confusion, much like her ill-clad form. She blinked once. Then twice. Now thrice.

Once more.

And she smiled.

_"How amusing. I shall accept that offer..._

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS.**

**Else, you might be horribly confused. Wouldn't want that, would we?**

**Only a few chapters left, now!**

**Remember when I said way back when that Cinder was the key to this? Yup. There we go.**

**Now you see where I'm going with this. Maiden power aka pure unrestrained MAGIC is the only way to eradicate Kaguya once and for all. Hell, we've all seen what magic can do. Spells aren't bound by the same system as chakra, and Kaguya isn't immune to it. ****More Cinder bits next chapter.**

**Surgery hurts. Surgery hurts a loooot. But silence from readers and reviewers? That hurts even more.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!  
**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY!  
**_

_**YE BE WARNED!**_

**Read at your own risk!**

**SURPRISE.**

**Ever heard of Asura's Wrath? *cackles***

**(Preview)**

_"Red...Reeed...REEEED..._

_Ruby flailed blindly in the gloom. "Whuzzat...who'se there...?!"_

_The ghastly grinning visage of Roman Torchwick resolved before her. "I'm haunting you."_

_A piercing scream filled the night._

* * *

_Watts wriggled and writhed in Hazel's grasp. "Release me at once, you brute!"_

* * *

_"__A pleasure to meet you, necromancer."_

* * *

_The letter burned to ash in Naruto's grasp. A slow, shuddering breath escaped him. His eyes flashed white._

_"Calm down! You need to calm down! If you rise to that bait you'll lose control!"_

_Naruto was silent for a long moment. Cinder held her breath._

_She hoped for silence. She did not receive it._

**_"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"_**

_The world erupted._

**R&R~!**


	12. Yours is Near its End

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE, WOULD YOU KINDLY?**

**EDIT: Freaking flames. Stop telling me to die!**

**Must...ignore...pain...and update...!**

**I can barely walk at the moment, but I promised an update today, so here we are.**

**Spoilers for Volume Eight, of course. BECAUSE HOLY CRAP. ****Well, we've got Cinder's past and ohohoho I am running with it! Full speed ahead! All aboard the NarutoxCinder train! I could say more, but the web is dark and full of spoilers. All I'll say is this. Be prepared. Get ready to laugh...and cry. **

**Nooow then, time for the questions! Five should suffice for now, I think:**

**Q: Who would you say is stronger? Kaguya or the brother gods?**

**A: That's...rather debatable, given what we've seen.**

**Q: When are we getting that Roman scene?!**

**A: NOW. It helps that he's effectively immortal at the moment...**

**Q: Will Cinder reveal her past to Naruto?**

**A: That's complicated. She's slow to trust, but Naruto literally brought her back to life, healed her, and mellowed her out a bit. Cinder is still Cinder however. She never wants to be weak again, never wants to suffer as she did when she was a girl.**

**But she's got another reason to fight now, and that makes her dangerous.**

**Q: Salem...she does realize she needs DNA fro her children to revive them, right...?**

**A: Its heavily implied that Salem kept some of her daughter's old things over the years. She still has them, even now. Resurrection won't be a problem.**

**Forging an alliance with her however, getting her to forgive what is essentially a betrayal not only on Cinder's part, but Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel as well...yeah that's gonna be difficult. As we've seen, she's not the sort to forgive easily, and even she "forgives" Cinder's disobedience, its quite clear that she's up to something.**

**So many death flags for Cinder this season. Bit of a shame, that. Her backstory has the potential to be so much more; I look forward to see what many make of it.**

**Now then, lets get ready. Set! Go! Once again, chapter title is part of the lyrics from the song "All Things Must Die."**

**Also from a certain RWBY song you might recognize here. Yeah, its THAT ONE from Volume Eight.**

**As ever, I own no references, themes or memes!**

**And so, with that said...away we go~!**

**Minor timeskip of a few hours!**

_"Let me do this. Ya can't nick a bullhead with half the city bearing down on you, and in case you've forgotten, I'm still immortal. Might as well put this new body of mine to use before you resurrect me properly. You know Neo can hold her own in a fight, too. Let us have our fun. Go on. Get. Steal the biggest damn ship you can find. I wanna fly to the Grimmlands in style. __We'll lead the kiddos around by the nose until you're ready."_

_...fine. Take one of these. Its a Hiraishin knife. If worst comes to worst, place your hand on the hilt and I'll yank you back."_

_"Heh. So nice to have a retirement package. Better than what that Cinder gave me."_

_"Emerald. Keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn't run off."_

_"Sure thing, dad. He won't leave my sight. Promise._

_"Dad...never gonna get used to hearing that..._

_~a discussion._

**Yours is Near its End**

_What a night to be alive!_

Technically speaking, Roman Torchwick was very much an undead. He could move, think, even feel to a limited degree, but he simply wasn't alive in the traditional sense of the word. Not yet, at any rate. His heart didn't beat. He had no pulse. Food was bland and held little taste for him. Even his precious cigars didn't quite give him the fix he'd grown accustomed to. Being dead did that to you. Good 'ol whiskers hadn't quite got around to resurrecting him properly yet in all the chaos. But hey, that worked in his favor.

Y'see, the boss needed a distraction while he and the others were off filching an airship from the Mistral docks. They needed that bird if they were going to meet Salem.

That...was not neccessarily a meeting Roman was looking forward to, but for now he was happy to play the bait and intercept their pursuers. Really, he was! He'd all but jumped at the chance and Neo with him. A bit of payback was in order...the explosive kind. Little Red might have learned a few new tricks since they'd last seen one another, but so had he. What is dead may never die again. Whatever bullshit Ruby Rose had to her name, she wouldn't be able to put him in the ground. A chance to torment her and make a fool of her friends? Really, it was almost too good to be true.

Whistling a merry tune, he twirled Melodic Cudgel in one hand and pushed a fresh cigar between his teeth with the other.

"Whaddya say, Neo?" Piercing green eyes sought out the shadow at his elbow. "Up for a little mischief?"

Mismatching orbs of cream met his, framing a vicious grin. A thumb rose.

"Now remember, we can't kill anyone...

Her smile died an ugly death.

_"C'mon, don't pout!_

Together, the three of them -yes, three!- sauntered deeper into the forest, making as little noise as they possibly could. Wouldn't be much of an ambush if they were caught out now, would it? All the while Roman kept a weather eye on the trees ahead of him. They were close. He could feel it. Any moment now and the damn brats would come crashing down on their heads. They wouldn't have choice. Goody-two-shoes were easy to read like that. The hook was baited, and they were going to fling themselves on it like the foolish little fishes they were.

No doubt they'd still be reeling from Jaune's return -poor kid- and who he brought back with him.

News like _this_ brought problems all its own, arguments that fractured teams. The dead should stay dead. He spoke from experience. That little Nikos chit had been dead for months now. Her return was almost certain to start a stir. All part of the plan, really.

"Remember, Roman. If you step one toe out of line...

Aaand there was the catch for this little jaunt of theirs. They had a minder.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." he muttered, tugging his hat down. "I ain't gonna run away. Can't say anything for her, though."

Neo flipped them both off.

Emerald Sustrai -or Emerald Fall as she'd taken to calling herself of late- didn't take her eyes off him for a moment as she walked behind them. Even now he could feel those keen red eyes searing into his back. Had she already caught him in one of her hallucinations? She'd been getting better with those lately; she could successfully snare at least two people now without draining her aura too much. In the end, he had no way of knowing. This could all be one giant trap for all he knew...nah, that was the paranoia talking.

_Best not to think about it overmuch._

"Dad doesn't trust you."

"Of course the boss doesn't trust me." He gave his cane another twirl as pushed aside a branch. "Only a fool trusts a thief."

Emerald ducked before it snapped back. "Some thief you were. You died to a Grimm. Doesn't that make you a thug?"

"Oho?" Two could play that game! "Aw, does widdle Emerald want to impress mommy and daddy dearest?"

Dark cheeks burned chocolate-red. "Sh-Shut up! You don't know anything abut me."

Roman knew enough. Emerald had gone soft. Her and Mercury both.

Even now, he could scarcely believe it.

These kids were cold killers through and through yet one mention of Naruto or Cinder would have them clamming up. Cinder herself wasn't half as vicious as he remembered. He hadn't thought it possible. On the other hand their newfound attachments left these three emotional...and emotions were pretty damn dangerous in their own right. He had no doubt the kids would try to crack his skull given half a chance. Cinder would scour the very flesh from his bones if he stabbed them in the back. Naruto would probably let her, too. Just a few flick of his fingers would strip away his invincibility and see Roman mortal once more. Which meant death would be but a discreet knife thrust away. He had no desire to go back to that.

But _damn_ if he wasn't going to abuse this while he could.

Two illusionists and an immortal walked through a forest late at night. It sounded the like beginning of a bad joke. But it wasn't. Little Red and her friends were gonna have a bad time.

Sure enough, Neo nudged his side and jabbed a finger forward. Roman followed her gaze, spat out his cigar, and crunched it underfoot.

"Yeah, I see 'em. Lights up ahead."

Emerald hummed. "Good. Stick to the plan-

"Mention the plan one more time and I'll shove it down your throat!"

Stooping down, he bid Emerald and Neo to do the same. Together, the three of them crept forward at a sedate pace.

Judging by the faint light glimmering through the branches they were in the clearing up ahead gathered around a fire of some sort. Good. They must've broken off their pursuit; which meant blondie had caught up to them, and Oscar with him. Something like that was bound to stop them in their tracks. Even now he could hear raised voices.

-were you thinking?!"

"How do we know its really her?!"

"She could be an impostor for all we know!"

"I'm not!" A voice near tears pleaded with them. "Please, believe me!"

"Quiet! Prove you're Pyrrha!"

A pause. "Well, there was that one time Nora drenched her bed in syrup-

"SHE'S REEEAAAL~!"

Creeping closer allowed Roman to finally catch a glimpse of them through the thick foliage. What he found didn't much impress him, but alarmed him nonetheless. Their numbers had grown since he'd seen them last. Teams RWBY and JNPR aside, there were a few stragglers down there he didn't recognize. One must've been Qrow Branwen. Weapon was a dead giveaway. The other was a girl with dark skin, her russet red hair bound back in a strange curling ponytail. Huh. Chameleon faunus. Didn't see those every day. Who was she?

Whoever she was, she seemed quite fixated on that sneaky little cat.

The third, however, Roman recognized. What the hell was that damn monkey doing here?! What was this, a regular jamboree or something?!

"That's a lot of them." Emerald hissed in his ear. "Guess they were busy recruiting while we were away."

Closer inspection confirmed his suspicions.

Oscar could be seen hunched down near the fire, both knees tucked into his chest. One the damn kids -aha! The Schnee!- was comforting him, murmuring something to him as she stroked his back. Even that crazy blond brawler seemed determined to try her hand at cheering him up. Lucky kid. You lose an ancient Relic and suddenly the girls just swoon over you.

Jaune Arc received no such comfort.

Qrow Branwen was glowering bloody red daggers at him, one fist wrapped around the collar of his hoodie. Poor kid. He really _had_ gone back. He should've known better.

Pyrrha Nikos was currently trapped under a very enthusiastic Nora and one weeping Ruby. Even Ren had been dragged into the pile somehow.

Everyone else looked lost. Confused. Afraid. A good hard blow would shatter them forever. Fear and betrayal tended to do that sort of thing. They had lost the Relic of Knowledge, and Ozpin with it. They were aimless. Lost and adrift in a sea of confusion. Roman bit down a shiver. Sealing a soul way, locking it in an endless dream...it sounded real nice on the tin, but he wasn't in any hurry to try that.

Melodic Cudgel twitched in his hand. He raised it between the branches, gazing down the sights toward his target.

A single shot could kill Little Red before she reacted. And her power would go to another.

Roman made a face at the thought. Cinder was bad enough with the Spring Maiden under her belt. Downright insufferable, really. The last thing _she_ needed was the power of Fall added to that. Least of all for Red to suffer an...accident. A dust round between the eyes would change that. The power of Fall would go to some random stranger, and Cinder would be none the wiser. Nothing personal, that. Just good business. Cinder would come for her sooner or later. He was only delaying the inevitable. It would be best to take the shot now and spare her whatever hellish fate that bitch intended for her.

Emerald glared at him. "Roman, don't. Drop it. Cinder isn't nearby. Her power could go to anyone."

Kinda the point, that. Anyone was better than Cinder. Just squeeze the trigger.

He tried. He really did. Just couldn't bring himself to do it.

With a long-suffering sigh, the gentleman thief lowered his cane. He couldn't kill her in cold blood. Nothing personal, kid. Little Red hadn't been the one to get him killed in the first place. Damn gryphon did the deed, not her. Still, he wasn't above making her squirm a little for ruining his plans in the past. There was strength in numbers of course; but all the power in the world didn't mean anything when you couldn't keep your opponent down. And they weren't here to fight. They were here to terrorize them.

Well, that, and maybe have a little fun.

"Alright." he rasped, lowering his voice to a stage-whisper. "How're we gonna do this?"

Emerald drew her blades. "We wait for Naruto's signal. Hit them hard, hit them fast, scare the shit out of them. Do you have the knife?"

Roman slapped a hand to his belt where he'd kept it bound. Hard to believe such a little thing would teleport them back to the boss, but he wasn't about to question it. If something as farfetched as magic was real, then it stood to reason that chakra would be the same. At least in theory. Each of them had one. He'd not lose it. They were the only three Naruto had, and quite possibly the last. Relics in every sense of the word, made ages ago back when his hands had been steady.

"Wait." a thought occurred to him. 'What's the signal?"

With a deafening crack of thunder, the dark clouds above-long since threatening rain-finally releases their bounty.

In the clearing below, Ruby and her friends cried out as they were soaked to the bone. Their fire went out, plunging them into darkness.

Well, damn. Guess that was their cue.

Roman's fist instinct was to duck back into the cover offered by the branches, but the deluge didn't linger long enough to reach them. It hit hard and fast, leaving an unnatural fog in its wake. Just as quickly the rain was gone, sweeping across the horizon with unnatural speed to harass the rest of the forest. Naruto's work. Had to be. That, or Cinder. She could control the weather too, couldn't she? Perhaps they had worked together. Who could say? It made his night all the same.

"Well." Roman chuckled. "That takes care of our Faunus friends."

Neo tugged at his arm again. Her grin was just the right shade of vicious.

"Alright, alright." He shooed her upright. "Slap an illusion on me first. I wanna look extra spooky."

She did as he hasked.

"Thatta girl." he patted her back. Go have some fun in the fog. Just don't get caught."

Emerald crept after her, red eyes intent on Branwen. Clever girl. Distract him first, and the rest would follow.

"Sorry, red." Roman hummed to himself as he sprinted down the hill after her. "Nothing personal, but its time for a little payback..."

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

Ruby wasn't afraid of the dark.

The very moment the fire went out, her eyes had lit up. Burning silver flames shone through the shadows and glinted harmlessly against the fog.

She wasn't afraid. Really! She wasn't! What?! Her!? No! Never! Who was afraid of the dark? Only little itty-bitty babies jumped at their own shadows! Not her! Nope! Nuh-uh! She wasn't afraid of anything! She was the new Fall Maiden! She was brave! She was fearless! She was...

"W-Weiss...?" she called out into the gloom. "Yang? Blake? Anybody there?"

A ghastly wail filled the air.

"Little Reeed...Reeed...REEEED...

Ruby flailed blindly in the gloom. "Whuzzat...who'se there...?!"

She turned and found a frightful face scant inches from her ghastly grinning visage of Roman Torchwick loomed before her, grinning from ear to ear like a man possessed. Ruby's world shattered. Any hope of calling out or defending herself fell to the wayside as she gazed at him. He...he didn't look right. His face was pale and cracked, the whites of his eyes gone dark and twisted. His body was little more than a wraith, and she could see right through him. Was this ghost? It had to be a ghost. Why did it have to be a ghost?! She was TERRIFIED of ghosts! Why was everyone coming back to life?!

She tried to scamper back, but a hand caught her wrist, reeling her back in like a fish.

"No!" she wailed, kicking at him! "Lemme go! I didn't mean to get you killed...!"

Roman leaned forward. Pressed his forehead to hers.

The eerie grin stretched further still.

_"I'mhauntingyou."_

Silver eyes absolutely bulged. Haunted?! _Her?!_ Nope! Nope, nope. nope! A thousand tiny Ruby's shrieked in her head and fainted as Maiden's mind retreated. Her body shut down. Her legs went limp. Eyes rolled up into the back of her head. Danger! Danger! Danger! Critical failure! Somebody send an error report! Ruby had stopped working. Would you like to reboot?!

She slumped at his feet, a twitching puppet severed from its strings.

"Huh." Roman nudged her unconscious form. "Neat. Guess I'll leave her here-

"RUBY!" Sure enough that set _Yang_ to squawking and the air came alive with buckshot.

Roman dropped her and raced away into the fog with a mad cackle.

_"You'll never take us alive, coppers!"_

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_The __journey to the Grimmlands was not a silent one._

Bereft but for the faint whine of the airship's engines, their trip should have been relatively unspectacular. It was not. Such a time should have been spend brooding, or barring that, concocting a plan to entreat with Salem and if that failed, escape her lair in one piece. This was no mere mortal they were dealing with. Here was a being that could not be beaten through force of arms. Queen of the Grimm. Avatar of destruction. Immortal and eternal, unable to be slain. That Salem.

And they needed to work with her.

Rather than dwell on that crippling notion. Cinder sought to distract herself the only way she knew how.

Their stolen craft was of a decent size; bearing three cabins in addition to the cockpit and cargo hold below. Naturally, Naruto claimed the largest room for himself by right of conquest. Cinder took one look at the spacious interior with its large bed and soft silk sheets. An hour later, her meager possessions joined his.

Her lover hadn't objected overmuch, for obvious reasons.

Of course, that left Emerald and the rest to sort out the remaining bunks among themselves...with Jinn. Cinder was content to let them suffer the Spirit of Knowledge for now. They did done their deed well and returned safely. Their pursuers had no way of tracking them to Salem's domain; if anything, they were too busy reeling from Jaune's revelations and Roman's attack to even consider the possibility of pursuit. A divided enemy was an unfocused enemy. And they had divided enemies...well. They fell.

At any other time, she might have given the impending doom of Ruby Rose more thought. But she didn't. After all, she was...preoccupied.

_"Oh gods, yes!"_

Cinder tilted her head back with a cry bordering on blissful euphoria. White light burst behind her eyes and her legs clamped down. Below her, she heard a similar sigh of release. A small, lazy smile plucked at her full lips as she came down from her high. Even then she clung onto him, savoring every last moment. It was bound to happen sooner or later. They could only dance around the matter for long. Confined spaces only hastened the matter along. One thing led to another, and here they were.

There was no place she'd rather be.

She tumbled off her place atop him and into his arms, seeking his warmth. Strong arms wrapped around her, and in a rare moment of vulnerability, she allowed it. For a few blissful moments, neither spoke. Cinder placed her ear against Naruto's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. It threatened to lull her into sleep. Her eyes drooped for a moment. Sleep sounded nice...but she knew better than to slip into his grasp. Instead she shook her head forced herself back to wakefulness and luxuriated in blessed bliss of release.

"Finally had enough?"

"Says the glutton." she murmured into his chest. "You're going to get me pregnant at this rate."

He granted her a lazy grin from the sheets. She couldn't see it, but she knew it all the same. "Would that be so bad?"

"Absolutely." She slapped at his chest with her restored arm and glowered golden daggers at him. "I'd be a terrible mother. You know that."

"Really?" A blond brow quirked in mild amusement. "Emerald doesn't seem to think so. She's all but claimed your last name now._ Emerald Fall._ Adorable, really."

...shut up."

She slumped against him, happy and spent. Content even, in as much as she could be. How long had they been at this? Hours? A day at the very least. Didn't matter. She had stress to relieve, and he was happy to be her willing partner in this. Just the thought of it drew a smile to her lips. She had power again, more than most could ever dream off. She was whole. Human. Salem held no sway over her, no way of controlling her, no means of harming her. A wise man once said living well is the best revenge.

But her vengeance was not yet complete; if only because there was so much yet to do.

First and foremost, they needed to convince Salem to aid them. Assuming they did, that still left the matter of the Maidens and the magic they possessed. Once they held that, with her help, they might, eradicate Kaguya once and for all...and then...? The thought alarmed her. What then? Rule the world? Face the gods? She didn't know Salem's end goal. That worried her. Surely she had a reason for collecting the relics, two of which they were all but bringing to her doorstep. She wasn't sure whether that would embolden her former mistress or give her pause.

Thankfully for her, Naruto was the one to speak his mind first. "What can I expect from Salem?"

A post-coitus Cinder was a talkative Cinder. She was happy to warn him.

She rolled over to look up at him.

"Salem is...intense." she said after a moments pause. "You must understand that she does not think as human being would. Time means nothing to her. She's incomprehensible. Do not expect her to be swayed by reason or logic. You will regret it."

"I thought as much." he heaved a sigh and leaned back against the mattress. "There's a reason I avoided her and Ozpin for so long. I didn't want to be drawn into their conflict. But its alright now." a hand came up, idly stroking her shoulder. "We'll get through this. Together. We'll find a way."

Together. She loved that word.

Something unspooled in Cinder's chest.

A burning flame sprung to her life in her hand. "Let me tell you a story."

She expected him to challenge her, to say there was no need for such a thing. What she received was silence.

"Once upon a time, there was a girl." Amber eyes regarded the fire in her palm silently. "She was no one. She was nothing. A woman took the girl in."

Naruto frowned. "I don't like where this is going...

She pushed a finger to his lips.

"But rather than raise her as a guardian should, she chose to abuse her." even now, speaking the words provoked a dull ache in her chest. "She put a collar on her. When she disobeyed, she was shocked. When she spoke, she was shocked. When she wasn't fast enough, she as

"Cinder...?"

She barely heard him.

"She would work from sun up to sun down, every day. All the while, her Stepmother berated her with these words:

Naruto sat up. She shifted against him.

"Clean the linens, sweep the floors, shut your mouth and do your chores." she whispered the words softly, shoulders trembling. "Scrub the dishes in the sink. No one said that you should think."

Naruto's eyes flashed white.

"Shine the silver, wash the clothes, and when you're finished darn the socks." Cinder went on, inner demons raking cruel claws across her mind. "Draw my bath, fetch my slippers, fill my glass and wash my feet. Hurry up. You're so slow. You're no good. I hope you know that your life is of no use, and the truth is that no one's ever loved you."

...what happened to the girl?"

Fire. Vengeance. Ash. Miserable. Hopeless.

Cinder choked down the bile in her throat and continued.

"Without you, I am nothing. Ever day the girl was made to recite those words. Every day they ground her down. Piece by painful piece." her fingers shifted, curling around the flickering flame like a claw. "She became their slave, their tool, a broken and wretched thing."

Golden eyes flashed.

"And then one day, a huntsman came."

Naruto fell silent. She suspected he knew where this was going.

"The hunter took pity on the girl. He trained her to be like him. He promised her freedom in seven years time. She just had to endure. And for a time, she did."

His hand curled around her shoulder. She reached up, threading her fingers with his.

"And then Stepmother found her weapon. She tried to take it from the girl."

"The girl snapped. Her stepsisters, she stabbed. Over. And over. Then over again. Her stepmother she choked to death. Broke her windpipe. There was an awful cracking sound. She reveled in it. The huntsman found her like that, standing over their corpses. The girl turned to the huntsman. "I don't have to run now." she said. Help me, she said."

Her partner swallowed but once.

"He could have saved her; helped her hide the bodies and spirited her away to safety." The memory came back again, and this time Cinder nearly lost herself to it. "He was her prince. Her father figure. Her everything. Her all. The one person she looked up to. But when she needed him most he drew his weapons and called her a monster. He attacked her. She killed him in self defense."

A deafening pall of silence fell between the two of them.

"And so the girl was truly free."

Naruto reached over for her other hand. "You're that girl, aren't you?"

"I was, once." she whispered. "A long, long time ago."

A tiny voice in her heart cried out, but the tears wouldn't come. She could no longer cry. She'd never told anyone that story. Not Emerald, not Mercury, not even Salem herself. To finally speak the words to another...it felt freeing. As if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Like lancing the puss from an bad wound and cauterizing it. There was a scar, there would always be a scar, but the worse was gone, taking the pain with it.

And she felt free again.

"Without you, I am nothing. But because of you?" her eyes ignited, trailing embers of golden flame. "I am everything. You resurrected me. You tended my wounds. You gave me perspective. You were there from me in my weakest moment. And you?" She tossed her hair over her shoulder, dark tresses falling over one eye. "You showed me that my destiny was my own. I choose. I make my own decisions. Me. No other. I serve no one. What we have is an alliance, no?"

He laughed and pulled her close. "Sure, call it that if you like."

In a moment of passion, she grabbed him by the chin. For once, he allowed her this display of defiance.

"This is your one and only chance to back away." she informed him. "If you betray me after this...I will kill you. I'm not sure how, but I will find a way-

His mouth crushed against hers in answer, stealing her fears away. Well! There was his answer. She yielded to him with a pleased hum and pushed him back down, watching as his eyes roved across her body. She turned and ran a tantalizing hand along her flank, fingers trailing over the round curve of her rear.

"Still hungry, are we?."

He laughed as she crawled back atop him.

"Has anyone ever told you you're absolutely insatiable?"

Cinder's laughed and ground her hips against his again, head tilting back as she rode him into oblivion.

She pushed him to her entrance and gasped as he filled her once more. They didn't have sex. Nothing so base as that. They made love.

She'd made her decision, she realized. The power would be hers. Fall, Winter, Summer. Cinder cared not in what order she acquired them. Only that she did. Spring was not enough. She knew that now. She wanted be stronger; no, needed to be stronger. But this time, that strength wasn't for herself. That strength was for another. If she didn't find that strength soon, Naruto would die.

_And...well. She just couldn't allow that._

* * *

_(.0.0.0.)_

* * *

_All too soon, they reached their destination._

Roman guided the airship in with brisk dispatch, but even his haste wasn't enough to mask their surroundings.

And the longer he looked, the more certain Naruto became. All things considered, the Grimmlands, or Land of Darkness as some called it...well. It certainly lived up to its name. Everything was a barren wasteland, not so much as a hint of life for miles. Enormous violet crystals jutted from the glow below, glinting ominously beneath the red sky. Even from this height he could glimpse dark pools below, see the Grimm crawling their way out of them.

This wasn't a good place.

"Last stop, apocalypse." Roman snarked over the intercom. "Everybody out."

No one spoke. They couldn't bring themselves to. Instead they gathered their things disembarked.

Naruto emerged first, marching down the ramp flanked by Cinder on his right. Hazel followed on his left, dragging a battered Arthur Watts over his shoulder. Bound and tied at the wrists and ankles, there was little the doctor could do but complain at his plight. Even now the surly scientist wriggled and writhed in the giant's grasp.

"Release me at once, you brute! Salem will have your head for this!"

Hazel scoffed. "Not likely."

From there, Emerald and Mercury shuffled nervously behind them, leaving Roman and Neo to bring up the rear. The latter looked about as skittish as the others felt. Jinn had hidden herself back in the lamp, unwilling to risk drawing Salem's ire onto her. Naruto couldn't much blame her for it. One question remained. Salem might try to use it, if she knew how.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to feel any fear. For Cinder and the others? Certainly. But for himself? Hardly. Everything felt so...distant. Detached. As if this were a dream. He knew it wasn't of course, but he couldn't muster it all the same. Salem was like him. No matter what happened here today, they wouldn't be able to kill one another. That didn't concern him. But if she turned her wrath on Cinder...

_"You'll die here, Naruto."_ Kaguya snarled in the back of his head. "Everything you love will die here."

Naruto shoved her away and looked straight ahead.

Roman gulped. "Gloomy place, huh?"

No one dared answer him.

_Because she was here._

**"Cinder."** an unfamiliar voice crooned. **"How nice of you to return...**

Salem was waiting for them as they disembarked.

Framed in the light of the shattered moon against her tower, she was every bit as Cinder had described. Beautiful. Eternal. Immortal. Scarlet eyes framed by a pale-veined face and ashen hair regarded them, narrow and intent. Her pallid tresses were the color of ash spilling down her shoulders, nearly reaching her knees. Clad in a seamless red-and-black gown with a plunging neckline, her shoulders were left bare, revealing ghostly skin rimmed with swirling veins and...was that armor on her arms? It was! A flowing black cape with a crimson trim completed the ensemble, leaving him even more ill at ease.

Really, she looked a villain through and through.

"Her hair's down." Cinder muttered beside him. "She usually keeps it up...

**"I heard that, dear girl."** Salem's retort had her jumping.** "Can I not change my appearance?" **

An alarm bell went off in the back of Naruto's head as the Queen of the Grimm approached. She looked pleased to see them. No. Not them. Him. Almost inordinately so. Was she preparing for war? Her plans were no longer known to Cinder, and as such weren't known to him either. She could have been preparing to invade Atlas for all he knew. Could they work together? The optimist in him wanted to believe such. The cynic said otherwise. Only one way to find out...

He stepped forward, putting three paces between him and Cinder as he met Salem halfway. Wisely, she didn't follow. Perhaps that was for the best.

Salem stopped a stone's throw away.

**"A pleasure to meet you, necromancer."** Pale lips pursed in small smile.** "Thank you for accepting my invitation."**

Not much choice, there. If he'd refused that "invitation" she may well have become hostile. No. Don't think about that. Happy thoughts. Even if she attacked here and now, he was certain he could handle her. She was an irritant compared to Kaguya. Then again...Salem didn't know that, did she? She might well believe that she held all the cards here. Even if she didn't.

Her eyes moved past him, alighting upon Cinder and Hazel.

**"I see you left Watts alive."** she intoned.** "May I have him back?'**

Hazel glanced at him. Cinder shook her head. Emerald and Mercury mirrored the motion.

"And why should we?"

**"If its a sacrifice you need, I have many more in my dungeons."** The Queen of the Grimm didn't frown. She simply_...stared._ **"I'm afraid I must insist. Arthur is essential to my plans for Atlas. I would be in your debt for this."**

There was no point in antagonizing her here. Whether she knew it or not, they needed her help. Riling her up served no one.

"One body for another?" he asked, earning a nod from her. "Fine. But if you're lying...

Salem scoffed.** "I do not lie, necromancer. My word is my bond."**

"Hazel. Let him go."

With nary a sound, Hazel broke the doctor's binds.

Arthur hit the floor and scurried into the tower, a frightened mouse running from a larger predator. He didn't look back. Salem didn't even deign to acknowledge his presence. If Watts was a mouse, then she was a dragon guarding her horde; an apex predator that deemed nearly everything be

**"Thank you."** but she favored _him_ with a smile.** "You have done more than you know."**

Her eyes snapped down to the lamp at his side. If she noted the box containing Ozma's soul, she made no mention of it.

**"My, my. You have the Relic of Knowledge." **Her eyes rose to meet his, and he saw a glimmer of respect lurking in their depths.** "Unexpected. And I expect dear Cinder claimed Destruction for herself. You've done much of my work for me, it seems."**

Naruto found himself touching a hand to Jinn's container. She warmed in his grasp. "I didn't do it for you."

**"Nevertheless, you have made my task easier."** Salem chuckled at his words; it was a low, sensual purr. **"Now only Choice and Creation remain. Have you used the lamp, then?"**

"I know how to use it, yes." He heard the unspoken question. There was no point in lying to her. "And its been utilized. Once."

**"And do any questions remain?"** a note of hope crept into her voice.

_"One."_

Scarlet eyes flashed with something dangerously close to hunger, but rather than press him as he suspected she might, Salem restrained herself. Odd. For a moment there, he thought she was going to pounce on him.

**"You wonderful man."** Instead she graced him with a nod and stepped back. **"Now that we've dealt with that bit of business...Cinder."**

Slitted eyes locked onto Cinder like a heat-seeking dust missile.

**"I'd say I was dissapointed in you, but really, what can you expect from mortals?"** She shook her head, sending waves of ashen hair floating about her shoulders like a gleaming silvery halo. **"You were ever a petty child. And in your pettiness, you have led others astray."**

The Spring Maiden bristled. "I am no child of yours!"

** "You are not." **Salem agreed.** "Were it up to me, you would _suffer_ for your betrayal. Even now, I find myself tempted to pluck out your eyes." **heat boiled in the air, bringing with it the implicit promise of pain.** "However, whether you know it or not, you have brought me the greatest gift of all."** with but the fainest breath, the spell she prepared guttered out harmlessly.** "For that, I will spare you. Just this once."**

...you're not going to attack, then?" Naruto asked.

**"I have been betrayed time and time again. Theirs is hardly the first."** the queen cocked her head, considering.** "I could still kill them for you, if you like?"  
**

Naruto heard Cinder hiss behind him. Nope, nope, nope!

"That's enough. I'm here, in the flesh, just like you asked." He intervened to stifle an waspish retort before it could bubble up. "Now what?"

**"Don't be so droll."** Salem stepped aside, sweeping a pale arm wide. **_"Won't you come inside?"_**

Naruto counted to three. Sighed. Then he walked into the den of darkness.

Salem trailed after him, still wearing that strange, satisfied smile.

Cinder followed them a heartbeat later, the others with her.

_And so it began. _

**A/N: PLEASE. READ. THIS.**

**Else, you might be horribly confused. Wouldn't want that, would we?**

**Felt it best to dedicate an entire chapter to what's coming. Didn't want to waste time.**

**Next chapter's title is "Bloody Evolution" and within good reason. Don't worry, you'll see plenty of Jinn in that.**

**So begins the Salem!Arc and all the madness and mayhem that follows. Hope you enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to reading your reviews when I get backk.**

**Only a few chapters left, now! Lets see if Naruto and Salem can get along...and hopefully not shred one another to bits. ****To clarify, Naruto can still throw down with the best of them, he just risks Kaguya taking control the more he exerts his chakra.**

**He detoxed a bit when she got out earlier but**** Kaguya's knocking on the door, and she wants out. There's so much more that I want to say here, but I'm trying to hold myself back, seeing as we won't be getting another RWBY episode until late February at best. That...is a long time to wait, and after the cliffhanger they left us on, this could go any way.**

**Surgery hurts. Surgery hurts a loooot. But silence from readers and reviewers? That hurts even more.**

**As ever, reviews keep this old man alive during this dark and crazy time. I ain't joking.**

**Seriously, we're all locked away anyways these days, its all that sustains me.**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas... ****Review...Would You Kindly?**

**And enjoy these previews! ****Remember those hints?**

**Yes? No? ****Hope you paid attention. ****Because!**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!  
**_

_**PLOT DETAILS AHOY!  
**_

_**YE BE WARNED!**_

**Read at your own risk!**

**(Preview)**

_Salem blinked at the box._

_"Ozma's soul..._

* * *

_"I have a prisoner that girl might be interested in..._

* * *

_"I wish to slay the gods."_

_"Oh." Jinn sighed softly. "Oh, dear."_

_Naruto mirrored it. "Well, that's gonna be a problem..._

* * *

_Salem's smile only grew. "Do you know what Cinder fears most?"_

_Naruto sighed. "This is going to go poorly, isn't it?"_

_"Come, now. She betrayed me. Its only right that I make her squrim."_

* * *

_Cinder hunched over, cursing softly. She was just feeling ill. Yes. That was it._

_Nothing else. Nothing at all. She refused to believe otherwise._

* * *

_His fist slammed down on the table._

_"I won't serve someone weaker than me."_

_"Bold, are we?" Salem smiled. __"I have not been idle all these years. If you desire a contest of strength, then by all means. __Let us take this outside."_

_"Thousand lien on the big guy." Mercury muttered._

_Salem arched an eyebrow. "I find your lack of faith disturbing, dear boy."_

* * *

_"You think you want to die. But you don't. Not really. Death is the end. That's it. Once you're gone, you're gone."_

* * *

_"I'm afraid I require something more."_

**R&R~!**


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